


Phoenix Rising

by hellotheregirlypops, ZoeyJH06



Category: Henry Danger
Genre: Fanfiction, Gen, Phoenixrising, ZoeyJH06, ZoeyJH06-PhoenixRising, hellotheregirlypops, hellotheregirlypops-PhoenixRising, nickelodeon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2020-04-06 13:20:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 27,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19063516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellotheregirlypops/pseuds/hellotheregirlypops, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoeyJH06/pseuds/ZoeyJH06
Summary: This is not a story for the faint of heart, it is not happy or hopeful or joyful. This is the story of a boy named Henry Hart and how he rises out of the ashes of a tragedy as Phoenix. Feared by both heroes and villains Henry is forced to find himself again, living a life as a vigilante instead of a superhero because apparently, those are two different things.





	1. Disclaimer

Hellotheregirlypops (my friend) and I (every ‘I’ stands for ZoeyJH06) adopted this story from RandomNerd3. Prologue and Chapters One to Five are all written by and belong to RandomNerd3 though we (every ‘we’ stands for hellotheregirlypops and I) made some small changes. Chapter Six and onwards are written by us so please don’t copy them. 

We don’t own Henry Danger, or anything related to it. We also don’t own anything related to Nickelodeon. But we own the characters we created ourselves (some of them are owned by RandomNerd3). 

We don’t own the original picture of the cover either. 

We will try to update twice a month but since we are full-time students, that might be impossible for us sometimes. But we’ll do our best and post a chapter whenever we finish it. And don’t worry, we won’t abandon this story. 

If any of you spot any grammar or any other mistakes, please tell us so we can change it back. 

~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops 


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

Henry walked into his house after an average day of school and almost threw up at the smell that hit his nose at the second he opened the door. “Mom?!” He cried out, concerned for his family. When no one responded he instantly switched into Kid Danger mode and began to treat the scene before him as a crime scene. “Think,” he said to himself. “The lock on the door isn’t broken so whoever the intruder is probably tricked your mom and dad.” 

Henry took a step forward and felt something break under his weight. When he lifted up his foot, he saw it was the family photo his mom usually had hanging on the wall. Henry’s chest tightened, the feeling like something was wrong kept crawling throughout his body. 

 _“Kid Danger.”_ Henry tensed and scanned his family room, but no one was there. Suddenly the television screen turned on to reveal Dr. Minyak. Henry’s vision turned red. _“It really was a pity I had to shot your family, your little sister was annoying. Don’t bother to use this to track my way by the way, this is a recording Kid Idiot.  By the time you’re home from school I’ll be halfway across the country.”_ Dr. Minyak paused then his insane grin stretched from ear to ear. _“I know what you’re thinking, why does it have to be you? Well Henry, let me give you a little tip: the best way to get a superhero is tearing apart his sidekick. When Captain Man is busy failing to track me down, I’ll be causing chaos at the place he’d least expected!”_ Henry heard an animalistic growl escape his throat, he took a vase - the first thing his hand found - and threw it at the television breaking the screen and stopping the video. 

Henry’s watch beeped three times, but he ignored it. Once he was sure Dr. Minyak didn’t have any other videos or traps hidden around the house he walked into the kitchen, the place where the smell was the strongest. The second he turned to the corner he collapsed to his knees and screamed until his throat was sore. “Piper?” Henry croaked as he knelt next to his sister’s dead body. “Piper, please!” He begged wishing what he was seeing wasn’t actually happening. When she didn’t answer him, he stood up shakily and then took the stairs to his bedroom. His watch beeped again, signaling Ray needed him at work. Sighing Henry answered it. 

“What?” Henry asked, his boss chuckled, _“Look Kid, I’ve been triple beeping you for a good ten minutes, where the hell are you?”_

Henry sighed, “I’m at my house.” 

Ray frowned, _“Are you okay? You seem off.”_ Henry almost told him the truth when he remembered Dr. Minyak’s words. _The best way to get a superhero is tearing apart his sidekick…_ As much as Henry hated to admit it, his family’s killer was right. If Henry told Ray what happened, he’d drop his superhero duties and help Henry get revenge, but Henry didn’t want Captain Man to get caught up in a revenge plot. 

 _“Kid?”_ Henry blinked then composed himself. “I’m fine, sorry I had to help my family make dinner. What’s the emergency?”

Ray sighted like he knew Henry was lying but he answered Henry’s question anyway. _“A new gang called the Maniacs are causing trouble in Club Soda.”_

Henry pauses before answering, “I might be out of town for the next couple of months.”

Henry could see the switch from Ray to Captain Man, _“What’s wrong?”_

Henry struggled as he started to build his metaphorical mask, “Nothing, I have to, um, visit, um, family across the country. My dad - I just can’t get out of it.”

Ray sighed, _“Fine, I guess I’ll have to find a Kid Danger fill-in until you get back.”_

Henry scoffed, “Kid Danger is a public figure, Ray. Swellview’s citizens are smart enough to tell their favorite superhero’s hair changes color.”

Ray nodded, _“Do you know when you’re going to be back?”_

Henry smiled sheepishly, “Nope.”

And to Henry’s surprise, his boss didn’t seem to worry much. _“Let me know when you get back so we can catch you up on everything you’re going to miss.”_

Henry nodded then said, “Look, I have to go.’ Ray nodded, then Henry spoke again, “Ray? Thanks for everything.” 

Henry hung up the watch then took it off and placed it on his bedside table, a place he was sure Ray would find it. After he finished cleaning up his room he went back downstairs, bypassing his dead family Henry went straight to the basement. When he first became Kid Danger he knew there would be a day when he’d had to give up on his mantel so he created his own costume and vigilante identity, Phoenix. “Okay, it’s okay.” Henry promised himself as he changed into his new anti-hero identity. “You’ll be okay.” Once he pulled on his mask he finally looked himself in the mirror for the first time since he got home. He was surprised to see the harden look in his eyes, the icy glare made it seem as he knew some dark secrets no one else knew. “Phoenix,” Henry said to himself. He was ready to take on his new vigilante persona, but there was still one more thing left for him to do to if he wanted to say goodbye to his past forever. 

Kill Kid Danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N  
> This chapter belongs to RandomNerd3 though we made a few small changes. 
> 
> We’ll start writing the story once we finish copying everything by hand. We can’t copy and paste so it’s gonna take a few days before we can start the writing. Also, we’re having our final exams now so it might be hard for us update frequently, but we’ll try and update Chapter Six within the week. Please don’t blame us if we don’t.
> 
> By the way, if you don’t know, the word count only include the story but not the author notes.
> 
> ~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	3. Chapter One: The Death of Kid Danger

It took the cops three days to find Henry’s dead family, it took Captain Man a week. Henry rolled his eyes and blocked Ray’s number for the hundredth time. He didn’t know how the superhero got the hold of his burner phone, but Henry had Ray’s phone number memorized so he knew when to ignore it. Henry grew more into his Phoenix persona by the day, soon anything and everything reminding himself of Kid Danger was completely gone, replaced by the flame in his heart as he thirsted for revenge against the man who killed his family. Halfway through his patrol on the crisp, cold Friday night, Henry found himself perched on top of Mount Swellview. Usually he would avoid a place like this, the places that held a lot of painful memories from his time as Kid Danger. 

“Who are you?” Someone asked from behind him. Henry jumped then quickly turned around and pulled out a gun as he aimed it at the person’s head. 

“Woah, relax, dude. I just asked a question.” Henry hesitated then to his surprise, Veronica from the Wall Dogs stepped out of the shadows. Through his slightly relaxed grip, Henry kept the gun aimed at the girl. 

“What’s it to you?” Henry asked. To response, Veronica chuckled and threw a wild punch. Henry fired the gun, but he missed Veronica and the bullet went straight through the W. She grabbed his wrist and twisted it to force him to drop the gun at their feet. 

“I know all the players in this city, but you’re new.” Henry wretched his wrist out of Veronica’s grasp then dropped to the floor and slid his leg at her shins aiming to take her out from behind. She backflipped away from him onto a flat rock. Henry grabbed her feet once she landed and pulled her down from the rock pile. When she stood up, she had a couple of scratches from the rocks littering on her face. Henry sucked backward to avoid another hit she threw. Then he grabbed her arm and flipped her into her back. While Veronica was in the air, Henry pulled his backup knife from his boot and held it to her throat, slightly breaking her skin. 

“I don’t play well with others,” Henry said. Veronica smirked which confused Henry, so he asked, “What’s so funny? I have a knife on your throat.” She pulled her foot to her chest and kicked at his ribs forcing him to release his grip on her. Once they are both far enough away so they couldn’t hit each other, Veronica said, “I know you’re Kid Danger.”

Henry flinched then shook his head, “No, I’m not.”

Veronica rolled her eyes then crossed her arms, “Kid, if you really changed your stripes you wouldn’t have let me survive.”

Henry nodded finding home self agreeing with her, “You’re right. Just because I’m no longer wearing my color-coded superhero costume doesn’t mean I’m evil.”

Veronica struggled, “Point. So what's next for you?”

Henry thought for a few minutes and then slowly, he took off his mask. “I have to start trusting people, there’s no way I’d be doing this myself.” 

Veronica looked floored. If she really did know other vigilantes then she knew how important keeping their identities a secret was. 

“Are you sure?” She asked. Henry, hesitated for a split second, then nodded. 

“I’m Henry, aka Phoenix.” 

Veronica smiles then hugged him, “I’m glad you finally trust me, Henry. May I ask, what happened?”

Henry felt his eyes darken at the reminder of his family’s murders. “Just something bad.” Veronica nodded, she knew whatever happened that made Henry swap from Kid Danger to Phoenix was something she'd better off not knowing. 

“First things first, I have to kill Kid Danger publicly so Captain Man knows I’m never going back to him.” Veronica frowned then her eyes lit up as if she had an idea. “What?” She grinned then answered his question, “One of the lower-level villains has a cloning superpower. He can create a dummy version of you, we can dress it up in the Kid Danger costumes which we can then destroy.”

The ex-sidekick hesitated, “I don’t really want to erm… work with a villain.”

Veronica rolled her eyes, “Relax would you _Phoenix_? Cloner is as secretive as you are. He’s been in the city for a year and I just managed to meet him in person last week for the first time. I can set up a meeting.”

Henry sighed, “You’re going to keep pressing until I give in, aren’t you?”

Veronica smirked and crossed her arms, “Yup.” 

Henry rolled his eyes, “Fine. How soon can we meet?”

The ex-Wall Dog struggled, “Depends on what Cloner says.”

Henry nodded, “Meet me here when you get the guy agree on it.”

Veronica frowned, “How am I supposed to contact you?”

Henry pulled out a comm unit out of a pound on his utility belt, “Here. I wasn’t planning on bringing anyone else on my vendetta, but I trust you.” She nodded and pulled it in her ear. With a final wave, Henry leaped from the mountainside and sprinted into his city. 

A couple of hours after his return to the actual city itself gave Henry his first bank robbery. “Hey!” Henry shouted dropping from the ceiling breaking glass all over the bank floor. There weren’t any hostages that Henry could see so he turned his attention to the four robbers. 

Leader Goon laughed through his ski mask, “What the hell are you supposed to be?” He asked while pointing at Henry. Henry switched to Phoenix mode and darkened his glare. Leader Goon looked like he was going to shit himself. 

“I’m Phoenix, who the hell do _you_ supposed to be?” Lackey Goon 1 was still loading money into his bag so Henry pulled his gun out and shot the guy on his right arm, prohibiting him from using it to take any more money. Lackey Goon 2 pulled out his own gun to prevent him from starting a shoot out. Henry pulled the trigger and sent a well-aimed at his elbow, causing the guy to scream in pain. “You’re messing with the wrong group of people, hero,” Leader Goon shouted. 

Henry smirked before answering, “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not a hero, I’m a vigilante. And vigilantes, well, we tend to play by our own rules.” To make his point Henry turned his gun into Leader Goon and shot him point blank. Leader Goon fell to his knees then face-planted to the tiled floor. Henry winced in sympathy. “Now be good boys and wait for the cops to show up, okay?” The Goons nodded quickly, not wanting to make Henry angry to kill someone else. Police lights shone through the front windows of the bank giving Henry his cue to leave.

“Looks like the Swellview PD has upped their response time.” He punched his grappling hook, but before he left the building Goon 1 spoke, “You’ve messed with the Maniacs, and for that, you’ll pay.” Henry threw his best I’m-going-to-kill-you-painfully-and-slowly-look. 

Goon 1 gulped when Henry responded with malice laced in his voice, “I am Phoenix, mister bank robber. Do you think a gang of wannabe villains scare me?” With that, Henry turned around and activated his grappling hook shooting himself into the night sky. He landed on the rooftop of the bank and took off in another direction, hoping he would get far away enough before the cops realized he was there. 

 _“If you are finished up with beating helpless bank robbers, I managed to get into contact with the Cloner. He wants to meet you at the Hod. Want any directions?”_ Veronica said through Henry’s radio unit. 

Henry answered while he scaled a building to get to the pavement, “Nah, Ra - Captain Man and I did a couple of undercover missions there.” He sprinted down an alley shortcut then appeared in front of an illegal bar where villains in Swellview tended to hang out. 

“I’m here, who am I looking for?” Henry asked before getting stop by the bartender. “Hey, new guy!” The man shouted across the bar, “No weapons! Drop all the guns and ammunition in a safe place and get them when you leave.”

“You must be Veronica’s friend.” Henry switched into Phoenix mode then nodded and held out his hand. “Phoenix, you Cloner?” 

The villain nodded confirming Henry’s theory. “I am. Let’s talk. Step into my office.” They turned the corner and surprisingly, Cloner had an actual room made to look like an office. Henry rose an eyebrow, but sat on the chair across from the Cloner’s. 

“Can you create a duplicate version of what Kid Danger used to look like?”

Cloner nodded, “I can, but my price is out of your range.”

Henry rolled his eyes, “Look, I’m going to clean the streets of this city no matter I kill Kid Danger or not. Killing Kid Danger will just make the job easier.” 

Cloner chuckled, “She said you have a sense of humor. I want to make a deal with you, Phoenix.”

Henry strugged, “What do you have for me?”

Cloner pulled out a rather thick case file from a cabinet drawer. Henry took it from him and began to flip through it. It was full of photos of him as Kid Danger, along with the files included the details on many cases Henry helped Captain Man solve. 

“How’d you get these?” Asked Henry honestly curious. 

Cloner chuckled then responded, “I have my ways. You need to get one thing through that head of yours. Doing this, killing your alter ego? It’s going to cause more trouble than it’s worth.”

Henry nodded, “I know Cloner. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to get revenge.” Cloner looked at him like Henry just gave him a million dollars. “What did I say?”

Cloner whole his head, “Nothing, don’t worry about it. Anyway, if you really do want to do it I’ll do it for free.”

Henry frowned, “What’s your catch?” 

Cloner chuckled, “Veronica also said you’re smart. Well, at least you’re not an idiot.” He paused to type something into his computer, then he looked back up at Henry. “You owe me a flavor.”

Henry hesitated, “That’s it?” 

Cloner nodded and said, “A flavor goes a long way, Phoenix. You’ll be surprised.” 

The blond sighed then shook Cloner’s hand. “When’s the duplication going to be done?”

Cloner held his hand out, and aimed it at an empty seat next to Henry, and before Henry’s eyes, he created a dummy version of Kid Danger. 

“You’re welcome. Oh, and one more thing?” Cloner said catching Henry before he left the room. Henry stopped and turned around, “What?”

Cloner reached out his hand, “Nice to see a new face around here. It’s getting tiring to see the same villains everyday.” Henry nodded then left with his dummy tucked inside a clothing bag so no one could hear them. 

“Mission accomplished,” said the ex-sidekick informing his friend through their shared video wave. 

 _“Great. How are you going to kill yourself?”_  

Henry struggled even though he knew she couldn’t see him. “I’m just going to get red paint and dip the dummy in it then go public with it. Maybe hack into the secure network Swellview’s news channel uses.”

Veronica laughed, _“Keep me posted.”_ He figured she turned off the radio unit after that. 

Sighing to himself, Henry ducked into a cheap motel and rented a room for a few days. When he could tell he was clear, he pulled the dummy out of the bag and sat it on a chair. Henry was honestly impressed with Cloner’s work, the dummy was almost humanoid, he even got Henry’s exact eye and hair color. He pulled out a gun (registered in Henry Hart’s name) and placed it in the dummy’s hand and aimed it toward its head. Henry hesitated for a split second, both Cloner and Veronica were right about one thing, once he did this, there would be absolutely no going back. Currently, Henry Hart was reported missing, which meant if he turned out to a police station dressed as a civilian, Ray wouldn’t even know what he was about to do…

A loud _crack_ echoed through the empty halls of the lonely no-name motel Kid Danger died in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> This chapter belongs to RandomNerd3 though we made a few small changes. 
> 
> This is absolutely a long chapter. I literally sacrificed 2 hours of studying to type this thing out (as for hellotheregirlypops, she typed Chapter Two). Chapter Two will be up soon (hopefully) and we hope that we’ll finish all the copy & paste work this week and start working on this story before weekend. But as you all know, we’re having our final exams so it’s gonna be hard. But we’ll do our best. 
> 
> ~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	4. Chapter Two: The Maniacs

The police responded to the gunshot quicker than Henry would’ve liked. Siren screamed down the streets as the patrol cars raced to the scene of the crime. “Goodbye,” Henry whispered to himself, ready to start the next phase of his life. The ex-sidekick quietly slipped out of the window, facing the back of the motel and blending into the night.

The next day Captain Man made an impromptu press conference to release the information relating to the murder that happened the previous night. Henry decided to go to the location to see his ex-boss live. Disguising himself with a black zip-up hoodie, jeans, and temporary black hair dye, the blond made his way to the press conference. Henry slipped his com into his ear hoping people would dismiss it as a Bluetooth device. He sat on one of the chairs in the last row and waited for Captain Man to start talking. 

“Hello.” Henry frowned, when Captain Man spoke his voice sounded hoarse and scratchy. Not to mention, he didn’t have his usual annoying can-do attitude and catchphrases. The superhero continued, “I regret to inform the citizens of Swellview…” It looked like he was going to start crying, “the original Kid Danger is dead.” The reporters started clamoring, demanding answers and asking how he died, Captain Man held up his hand and they fell silent. “The manager of a motel found his body shot point-blank and sitting in an armchair. We all need to come together in our time of grieving, which is why I have decided to continue to allow my sidekick to be named Kid Danger. I have already found the original Kid Danger’s replacement.” Henry glared at the ground, he knew Ray wouldn’t miss him, but Henry thought he would at least let Kid Danger die with dignity and not allow anyone else to use the same alternate identity.

“Captain Man, where are you at with tracking the killer of the Harts?” A reporter asked Henry snapped his head up, the blond was wondering the same thing. Henry watched Captain Man’s emotional mask fall for a split second before he answered, “That information is currently classified to the public and its citizens. Once I find something I will inform the public who the killer was so they can watch out for him.” 

Henry flinched when static popped in his right ear, Veronica turned on her com. _“Phoenix, where are you?”_ Henry took a look back at the stage, Captain Man was currently introducing his newest sidekick. He saw the superhero was being bombarded by reporters, so Henry took his leave as if he was never at the press conference.

“What’s up?” Henry asked answering her question with a question.

Veronica sighed then said, _“Those guys you had me look into? You know, the Maniacs?”_ Henry nodded then remembered she couldn’t see him.

He brought his hand up to his ear then said, “What did you find?” She sent him a text with a copy of the file. “How did you get my phone number?

In response, Veronica scoffed then said, _“It’s what I do. Anyway, the Maniacs are a gang falling into the newer side of the chart. The only thing I’ve found out about them are rumors. Their main location is unknown, but each member has a strange looking letter ‘M’ tattooed on their wrist or the back of their necks. My contacts have said they do everything secretly, no one can even get close to their leader without already being in the gang.”_

Henry turned the street corner and frowned,  “Doesn’t the leader have to approve of who joins or not?” 

Veronica laughed, _“Your superhero-ness still makes an appearance. The gang leader doesn’t care who joins the gang, only that they grow in numbers.”_

Henry sighed, “The leader is building an army.” He ducked into an alley and changed into his Phoenix uniform then scaled a fire escape to get to the roof of a building. He crouched on the roof and hid near a pile of boxes to avoid being spotted by a Swellview PD helicopter.

 _“Why would anyone want to build an army in Swellview? There’s an entire league of superheroes, it’s not like they’ll get far.”_  

Henry hesitated then said, “When I found my family, there was a video left behind by Dr. Minyak.” 

Veronica was silent for a few minutes then she finally spoke, _“What did he say?”_

Henry tried to tell her but the words were stuck to the back of his throat. “Where are you?” 

Veronica answered, _“The warehouse district, I’m in the abandoned warehouse off of Robin Street.”_

Henry nodded then said, “I’ll be there in ten.”

As Henry flew through the air, he thought about how he felt about Ray replacing him. It wasn’t that he didn’t know it was coming, Ray hired him as a sidekick for a reason, one superhero wasn’t enough to keep Swellview safe. Henry couldn’t help but smile as he felt the familiar sensation of flying through the air. He landed on the building next to the one Veronica said she was in. Henry scaled the wall and landed on the pavement on his feet. He took a couple of steps forward before pausing and doing a quick lap around the building to ensure his friend wasn’t sending him into a trap. When he confirmed it was cleared, the vigilante made his way into the building. Henry was instantly impressed, Veronica managed to create what looked like her own version of the Man Cave. She was swiveling between three different computer monitors, from what Henry heard on his side of her conversations, she was informing vigilantes and criminals where to hit next or how to avoid cops. 

“Veronica, this is…” She pulled a gun from a drawer and pulled it on him. Henry saw a look of fear flashed across her face before she realized he was a friend.

“I thought I was compromised, give me a bit of a warning next time, yeah?” 

Henry rolled his eyes then sat in a chair next to her. “I need to talk about what happened to my family.” 

Veronica’s expression changed to something serious as she turned off her monitors. Henry took a deep breath then said, “Dr. Minyak is by going after what he cherishes most.” Henry almost slipped, though he hated Ray for replacing him, and for not realizing Dr. MInyak was behind his family’s deaths… A civilian identity is one of the most important things a superhero could have. Henry figured telling anyone, even if it was just Veronica, would cause more trouble than it would be worth. 

Veronica frowned then said, “Captain Man, whatever his real name is, made it painfully obvious numerous times while you two stopped crime. He cared about you like you were his son, that’s an open wound and Dr. Minyak would happily pour acid on it.” 

Henry nodded, “I know, which is why I can’t seem to figure out what Dr. Minyak’s next step is.”

Veronica smirked, “That’s why you need me.” 

Henry stared at her with an expression that must’ve told her he wasn’t following. Veronica rolled her eyes before saying, “Think about it. Swellview is Captain Man’s city, he’s sworn to protect it. Someone’s building a secret army _inside_ Swellview, who else would gain anything from it other than Dr. Minyak?” 

Henry frowned then nodded, “Your theory makes sense… We need help if we’re taking down Minyak and his crew.” 

Veronica nodded, “Especially if Captain Man has been asking for SOS assistance without getting responses.” 

Henry sighed, if he wanted to save his city, he would have to do the one thing he promised himself he’d never do… Return to the Man Cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> This chapter belongs to RandomNerd3 though we made a few small changes. 
> 
> Chapter Two is up too, just as we promised. This chapter is entirely typed by hellotheregirlypops. Chapter Three and Four (and maybe Five) will be up tomorrow. 
> 
> ~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	5. Chapter Three: In Hiddenville

Phoebe and Max knew their father was watching them train as he usually did. Ever since they developed their telepathy powers the twins have been using it as a means of communication, more often than not. Max ducked as Phoebe threw a kick at his ribs. _Close one Pheebs_ , Max thought. 

 _What’s been going on?_ Max frowned and tried to freeze her with freeze breath, but she used her own fire breath to turn his attack a mist.

 _Nothing, promise._ He saw her narrow her eyes then she landed a blow to his ribs using her bow staff. He retreated back instinctively covering the part of his ribs she hit. Max cartwheeled out of the way of another attack then swiped his leg taking hers out from behind her knees. She hit the floor and Max rolled on the floor moving then came up holding her in a headlock. Phoebe tapped the floor signaling her surrender. Max released his twin then said, “I’m fine, promise.” 

Suddenly Nora came running outside. “Max your emergency alarms are going off!”

Max ran into his house then activated it and he stared at the notification that took over his screen…

_Max sat at his desk going through his computer software. Give the fact his parents were understandably against his villainous activity so they refused to fund him in any way shape or form. He created his computer systems from scratch, going dumpster diving in the dark for hours on end trying to find salvageable equipment._

_“God, why does this have to be so difficult?” He wondered out loud as he continued to download the Hero and Villain League’s database (which he hacked into) onto his own processors. Even though he was technically a superhero now the other members of the Hero League would sneer at him whenever he would walk into HQ with his sister. Max was determined to make a name for himself in whichever side of the war he ended up on, but he wanted to do it by himself._

_“No, no, no no no!” Max muttered. He quickly hit the emergency lockdown button before turning to his computers. He began to type in commands in hopes of saving his projects, but thanks to his luck nothing happened._

_With is room on emergency lockdown, Max didn’t have to worry about the threat escaping to his house and attacking his family, unless if it already did… Whoever hacked into his computer laughed then he spoke, “Relax Maximus, I will not harm your siblings or your parents for that matter. I am here as a courtesy. I know you are well informed to know that I killed him.” The entire room powered down when the emergency lights turned on there was a man standing in the middle of Max’s room, a man the superhero had never seen before._

_“Stay where you are!” Max shouted he tried to use his freeze breath to capture the intruder, but the guy was well trained. He tucked and jumped out of the way, landing on a pile of rocks that served as a secret exit out of the house. The unknown vigilante grabbed something out of his utility belt and fired it at Max’s direction, just barely missing his head._

_“What the hell dude?” Max asked. If this guy was the person who killed Henry Hart then he needed to be careful. It seemed to Max the vigilante wouldn’t flinch if he had to cap off someone else. Once it was clear they were at a stalemate and Max wasn’t going to try to capture the guy anymore he did a cartwheel off of the rock he was on and landed on his feet._

_“Max, the reason why I am coming to you and not to anyone else is that I know you’ll understand where I’m coming from.” When he took a step closer to Max, the superhero backed up and ended up cornering himself against the wall._

_“I won’t hurt you, Max, I need someone to know the truth. Someone who doesn’t reside in Swellview to know why Kid Danger had to die.” Max balled his fists and raised them, expecting a fight._

_When he spoke Max didn’t recognize the sound of his own voice. “I will never understand why you had to blow his head off.”_

_The stranger took that as his cue, the man slowly reached for the mask donned upon his face. Max looked at the face staring back at him. The man who killed Kid Danger, the one who almost shot Max in the head… was Henry Hart?_

“ _I just need five minutes,” Henry begged then he collapsed onto Max’s bed._

 _Max blinked, then said, “You killed Kid Danger.” The shock was finally starting to wear off. Just as Henry was going to speak, Phoebe intruded into his mind._ Is everything okay, Max? _Max hesitated, he glanced at Henry who shook his head. Max sighed the nodded before responding to his twin..._ Yeah, everything’s fine, don’t worry about me. _He felt her leave their telepathic link then Max turned back to Henry and looked at the teen. The last time the two were in the same room together, Max was honestly jealous of Henry. The kid had a sidekick gig and he wasn’t even born with superpowers. Henry was positive, he had a light in his eyes that would take down out the darkness in any room he walked into. Now though, when Max looked at Henry and the blond seemed tired, worn down. His eyes were dull and dark, it seemed Henry had witnessed something that scared him deep enough to shift his soul._

_“What happened?” Max asked Henry, the ex-sidekick smiled lightly._

_After a few minutes of waiting, Henry answered, “My parents were murdered.”_

_Max froze then asked, “Do you know who did it?”_

_Henry nodded, “Dr. Minyak.”_

_The very sound of the villain’s name sent shivers up Max’s spine. Sure being a superhero with superpowers fighting supervillains could get risky at times, but humans turned evil were a whole other playing field. Thunderman had actually banned his children from ever stepping foot into Swellview while on duty, the place was a literal hell on earth. “He even left a parting gift for me to know it was him.”_

_Max tried to go in for a hug, but Henry backed away from him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to - “ Max said, beginning to apologize, Henry held up his hand to stop him. “It’s fine.” The two sat back down._

_Ten minutes passed and Max finally found the courage to ask, “Why did you kill Kid Danger?”_

_Henry smiled slightly, “Why did you decide to fight alongside your family against Mayhem? I needed a new start, I knew - I know if I want revenge for my family’s deaths I’d have to cross lines. I could never ask Captain Man to do that, even if it is for his sidekick.”_

_Max nodded, “Being a vigilante is a dangerous game though. You cross the line once and there’s no pulling you back in.”_

_Henry agreed, “That’s why I’m telling you all of this, Max. If any of the superheroes would understand why I have to kill, why I have to do what I’m doing, I knew it would be you.”_

_Max nodded because he honestly did understand, as insane as that may seem. The time he spent being a villain-in-training he learned more than he ever thought he would. By the end of his first year in the Junior Villain League, Max had learned not everything was as black and white and cutthroat as superheroes made it seem._

_The ex-villain spoke, “Do whatever you have to, Henry, if you ever need help, I’m here. Hell, Phoebe and I are both here for you.”_

_Henry nodded, “Thanks, Max.”_

_The vigilante stood and began to walk towards Max’s basement window when Max said, “Hold up, H, do you have a new name yet?”_

_Max caught a small smile creep on Henry’s face before the blond turned around to answer his question. Nodding, Henry said, “Phoenix.”_

_Max smiled then reached out his hand, “Nice to meet you, Phoenix, hope all bodes well in the future.”_

Max Thunderman stared at the SOS signal sent out by Captain Man and Kid Danger: 

**_SOS. Something is happening in Swellview, we need help from anyone who is available. Swellview is falling._ **

**_~Captain Man & Kid Danger_ **

“Phoebe!” Max shouted from across the living room into the kitchen. His twin ran into the room holding her Hero League issued tablet.

“I got the notification, too, we’re going, right?” 

Max nodded, “Why wouldn’t we? Come on, Captain Man needs our help.” 

They made it to the boundary line, marketing the entrance into Swellview City. The last time they had any contact from Captain Man or the original Kid Danger was when they helped the superhero duo with the League of Villain’s underwater meeting. 

Before the twins could get any further, Thunderman dropped out of the sky in his full superhero uniform.  

“You two, go home.” Their dad ordered. 

Max shook his head then pointed at Swellview, “Captain Man sent out an SOS, Dad. We can’t just ignore it.” 

He glanced at his twin for help, but Phoebe seemed to have one foot pointed back the way they came. “Dad, you always say superheroes help people.” 

Thunderman nodded, “Superheroes, son, not those vigilante types they’ve got taking over Swellview. Captain Man should’ve stopped them when he could.” 

Max shook his head, “Dad, it’s not the vigilantes, it’s the villains.” 

Thunderman’s booming laugh echoed throughout the night sky. “Villains? Max, if you want to fight a supervillain, just get a mission from Super President Kickbutt. I’m sure she has some cases she needs to get tied up. Swellview City is a place no hero dares to go because no hero has ever returned, other than Captain Man and Kid Danger that is.” 

Max turned to his twin for help, Phoebe looked hesitant but nevertheless, she took a step forward to face their father.

“Dad,” she began, “Captain Man’s been spreading rumors about superheroes disappearing in his city to protect other heroes. You don’t know the kind of villains he faces.” She crossed her arms in an argument, it meant she wasn’t going to be the one who backed down. 

Their dad changed tactics, “Please honey, what if something happened to you two? What do you think it would to your mother, your siblings?” 

Max countered, “If anything, Billy, Nora, and Chloe have enough fire burning in them to last them a lifetime. I feel bad for the villainous vigilante plotting our demise the second we step foot in Swellview.” 

Thunderman sighed, “I don’t want you to end up like Kid Danger did last year. Please, just stay at home.” 

Phoebe shook her head, “You raised us to do what we believe is right, this is what we think is right.” 

Thunderman frowned, but Max spoke next, “Dad, we know you just want to protect us, you don’t have to worry, Captain Man will do exactly that. The reason he and Kid Danger, whoever the new one is, refuses to accept help from other superheroes is to protect them. Despite what you might think humans turned villains are the worst kind of supervillains. When I first joined the Junior Villain League, they made everyone decide on what codes they would follow in the first week. Villains in Swellview don’t care who they hurt as long as they get what they want. Not to mention, if Captain Man himself is asking us for help whoever’s causing trouble has got to be worse than your weekly scheduled villain.” 

Thunderman sighed then asked, “I’m not winning this one, am I?” 

Max shook his head,  “No, but you gave us your best shot.” 

Their dad took a couple steps forward then engulfed them both in hugs. Max hesitated at first, then he returned the squeeze. 

Thunderman looked at his oldest children in the eye then said, “Be safe, that’s all I’m asking.” 

Max nodded, “We’ll come back Dad, _promise_.” 

Thunderman nodded then flew into the night sky because he knew hero or villain, Max would always keep his promises, no matter what the cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> This chapter belongs to RandomNerd3 though we made a few small changes. 
> 
> Chapter Three is finished now. And so does Chapter Four. 
> 
> Sorry this is later than the other websites but an accident happened and as the result, I couldn’t post this until today. 
> 
> ~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	6. Chapter Four: Back to the Man Cave

Henry sighed, “I guess I can’t pull it off forever.”

Veronica shook her head, “You don’t have to go back. You don’t even need to answer the SOS, send one of the Underground’s vigilantes.”

Henry answered, “It’s been a year already. I dyed my hair black to avoid being recognized by the citizens.” 

Henry stood up and walked over towards the warehouse’s door. Just as he was about to leave, Veronica stopped him. 

“At least take someone from the Underground with you. You shouldn’t do this in the first place, besides I’m sure Captain Man will appreciate extra help.”

Henry nodded then turned to their training mat and shouted, “Adam, you’re coming with me!”

The assassin-vigilante stopped training and walked to Henry’s side. “Where are we going?” Adam asked. 

Henry held open the door for his friend then answered, “The Man Cave. Captain Man needs our help.” 

Adam frowned a little bit. All members of the Underground knew Henry’s hatred towards the superhero. 

“After you,” the teen said. Henry nodded and led the way to the place he spent most of his childhood. 

As they continued throughout the city, the two vigilantes used the cover of night to jump from rooftop to rooftop undetectably. 

“Are you sure about this, Henry?” Adam asked when they stopped on the roof across the street from Junk ‘N’ Stuff. Luckily when Captain Man sent his SOS, it was well past midnight so the nightlife in the city was at a slow point. 

Henry turned to him and nodded, “Yes I am. Like I told V, I should’ve visited him sooner.” 

The duo donned their masks then jumped down from the rooftop and made their way into the fake shop. Henry couldn’t help but feel nostalgic as he walked through the doorway of the shop...

_Thirteen-year-old Henry Hart walked into the unsuspecting junk store for the first time. The man on the desk directed him to the back of the store and he took the hyper-elevator to the basement. Henry remembered being so mesmerized by the Man Cave at first. The walls lined with computers, inventions and weapons…_

Henry blinked, bringing himself back to the present. He looked at the empty desk then said, “Guess everyone’s already in the Man Cave.”

The sound of footsteps entered the room, and Henry turned around only found himself staring into his replacement. 

“Who are you?” That guy asked. Henry smirked as he was unimpressed by the sidekick’s display. Adam, however, used his superpower to summon icicles and aimed them at Kid Danger. 

“I’m Ice Age and this is Phoenix.” Adam said introducing themselves. Henry saw a flash of recognition in Kid Danger’s eyes. 

The superhero dropped his stance, “The vigilantes, right?” Henry nodded, slowing himself to relax a bit. “We sent out the SOS to superheroes only.” 

Henry couldn’t help but laughed, “How do you think we get out information? We hacked the Superhero and Villain League databases months ago.” 

Kid Danger didn’t even try to hide his surprise. Once he composed himself, he showed them how to get to the Man Cave. As painful as it was, Henry could tell this new Kid Danger was better than he was in every way. 

The elevator landed and the trio stepped out. Henry helped Adam up since the poor guy wasn’t used to the super elevator quiet yet. “Who are you?” Captain Man asked. The superhero seemed a bit different compared to when the ex-sidekick saw him a year ago. 

Henry hesitantly stepped forward with his hand outstretched. Both Max and Adam seemed to be ready to defend him if Captain Man started a fight. 

“I’m Phoenix, and he’s Ice age. We are two of the vigilantes protecting Swellview.” Henry said shaking his hand as if it was for the first time. Captain Man nodded then released his grip saying, “Though I don’t agree with your methods, we need all the help we can get.”

Henry nodded in Max’s direction then turned back to Captain Man. He then asked, “What’s infecting our city?” Captain Man turned to face the computers as he handed out files to all the heroes and vigilantes. 

“The Maniacs…” Henry read out loud. Both Adam and Max looked at him in response. Henry shook his head warning them not to blow his cover. “They’re Dr. Minyak’s gang, right? Recruiting as many random citizens as they want.” Captain Man nodded, then continued to lecture the rest of the group about how the Maniacs operated. Henry blocked him out as he kept reading the files. 

“... So when Dr. Minyak, the man who set fire to an innocent family a year ago, began to cause trouble in the Underground. I knew - ”

Adam interrupted him, “Hold up, you’re saying Dr. Minyak’s been causing trouble in _our_ Underground. Explain how that’s even possible. Phoenix keeps the Underground in check, nothing gets past him.”

“Ad - _Ice Age_ ,” Henry said correcting himself before he could give away his friend's civilian identity. “No one can control the villains who are members of the Villain League in Swellview.” He saw Adam rolling his eyes through his mask. 

Phoebe spoke up, “Don’t all supervillains follow the same rules?”

Max chuckled before he answered his twin, “Peebs, the Villain League is different from the Hero League. There are tiers, subsections, a whole mess of rules and laws. The most recent batch of villains that’s been making their names and _don’t_ follow any set of rules.” 

A girl came in and Henry froze up. Charlotte Page walked into the room of superheroes and vigilantes holding case files and coffee. He watched her eyes filter through the room, picking out the most obvious threat. She landed on Henry and he quickly buried himself with the case file he already memorized. 

Kid Danger broke the silence and everything resumed, “Charlotte, Phoenix and Ice Age, both here to help us deal with the Maniacs.” Henry nodded quickly, unlike his counterpart who shook her hand. 

“J, What’s his problem?” Charlotte asked looking at Henry. Henry frowned, he knew something about the new Kid Danger felt familiar but he wouldn’t be able to tell that. 

“J?” Henry asked. 

Kid Danger turned to him. “It’s the first letter of my first name.”

Adam glanced at Henry, obviously worried about what was going on in his head. Henry shot his friend a look saying _don’t worry about it_. Then the sidekick took off his mask to reveal his secret identity. 

“I’m Jasper Dunlop. Nice to meet you.”

Henry physically stumbled backward. Adam helped center him, Max took a step forward to help. But Henry turned away too quickly for anyone else to react. 

“I have to - ,” he managed to get out, “ - go, I have to go.” 

Captain Man looked concerned, “Are you okay?”

Henry turned around to answer, “I’m fine, _Ray_. Leave me alone.”

He escaped the Man Cave through the tubes, Captain Man still had Henry’s voice logged into the Man Cave’s computer system. Once he hit the surface, Henry switched to his Phoenix persona. Fueled by anger resentment, Henry challenged any villain he came across, no matter who it was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> This chapter belongs to RandomNerd3 though we made a few small changes. 
> 
> If everything goes by the plan, Chapter Five will be posted tomorrow (tomorrow for us) and Chapter Six within this week. 
> 
> ~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	7. Chapter Five: The Abandoned Building

By the time Adam caught up with Henry he already cut through six different gangs and stopped three robberies by shooting off one of the thieves’ limbs. 

“Phoenix, stand down!” Adam yelled at Henry from the rooftop above him. Henry dropped his weapon and backed away from the criminal he was currently beating up on. “You’re not okay,” Adam said slowly as Henry regained control of his breathing. 

The ex-sidekick shook his head and stood up. “I’m fine now, let’s go back to Junk ‘N’ Stuff and figure out a way to stop the Maniacs.”

Adam grabbed his arm to stop him from running off. Henry twisted out from his grasp as he turned around to face his friend. 

Adam shook his head, “Veronica and I have been pulling this off long enough, Phoenix. You need _help_. It’s only been a year since you killed Kid Danger. You need time off to deal with the emotions come with that.”

Henry disagreed, “As you said, it’s been a year. I’ve already dealt with whatever emotion you’re talking about.” 

Adam crossed his arms while asking, “So you’re saying if Jasper Dunlop showed up right now you wouldn’t be hell-bent on destroying that guy?”

Henry sighed. Even though he hated to admit, Adam was right. “We can’t just let the Maniacs run wild in Swellview. What are we going to do?” 

Adam squeezed Henry’s shoulder comfortingly then said, “We do what we always do. We make a plan, then we win.” 

Henry nodded and followed Adam back to their underground hideout. 

The majority of the vigilantes were gathered at the round table in their base. Anyone who wasn’t there in person was tapping into the security feeds to keep track of what was going on. 

“Everyone shut up!” Henry shouted at them. His friends slowly silenced themselves. “Yes, we’re going to help Captain Man fight the Maniacs. They’re the reason my parents plus my sister were dead.”

Silent fell upon the group of vigilantes. It wasn’t often Henry spoke about his family, and when he did it was usually followed by a string of cuss words aimed at Dr. Minyak. Henry took a deep breath then continued, “Captain Man replaced me, so what? Right now, we have bigger fish to fry. Spark Plug, do you have any new information for us?”

The electric themed vigilante nodded then she said, “One of the Maniacs leaked on their TwitFlash where the gang’s going to hit next. They’re tagging the Old Maple Grill on midnight in two days.”

Henry nodded, “Send the files to Captain Man without giving away our location. At this moment we’re in a war with the Maniacs. Trust no one, we don’t know who they’ve corrupted.”

The vigilantes nodded then returned to their usual patrol throughout the city. Once he was alone in the room, he remembered a time when he had the chance to take out Dr. Minyak, but lost.

_It was six months ago, Phoenix was making his rounds and conversing with other vigilantes they crossed paths. Currently, Henry was following a tracker he planted on a Maniacs’ tire, hoping it would lead him to Dr. Minyak so he could finally take revenge for his family._

_“Come on!” Henry said begging his device to get back online. The green light blinked and Henry breathed a sigh of relief as he continued on his way. According to his tracker, the Maniacs, and Dr. Minyak were both in the abandoned building across from the roof he was currently sitting on._ Why does it always have to be abandoned buildings? _Henry thought to himself as he crept closer to the building. He took out his grappling hook then launched himself into the cover of night. Landing on the roof with a light thud, he searched the roof for roof-access door from the building below him. His hand grabbed onto the doorknob and creaked open the door._

_“Keep working!” Henry heard Dr. Minyak shout from the floor below him. From the ceiling beam, Henry was perched on he could see the evil scientist directing what looked to be a drug-pushing operation. The Maniacs were forcing candy-colored… something. In all honesty, the drug reminded Henry of a candy called Sugar Fuzz. Sugar Fuzz were small bits of sugar crushing up that tasted like different flavors depending on which one you got. Sugar Fizz would pop in your mouth like carbonation from soda. Henry continued to observe the operation wondering how it could’ve slipped under his fingers. He leaped to another ceiling beam to try to see Dr. Minyak better. Henry could care less for the underlings, he was after the big boss._

_“Dr. Minyak, there’s been rumors in the Underground that a new vigilante called Phoenix killed Kid Danger.” One of the Maniacs said as he walked up to his leader. In response, Dr. Minyak a shot taser weapon at him causing his minion convulsed to the ground._

_“Kid Danger was mine to kill!” Dr. Minyak roared. “I killed his family and left him alone to let him suffer, not to be killed by some worthless wannabe!” Henry grabbed one of his guns from his belt and aimed it at one of the bins filled with drugs. He put holes in all of the drug containers causing the drugs to spill all over the floor. Minyak was furious, he looked as pissed as Henry felt whenever he heard of this scientist. Henry dropped from the ceiling beam dressed in his full Phoenix uniform, mask and boots to match._

_“Sorry to disappoint you,” Henry said making it obvious he wasn’t sorry at all. He stared Dr. Minyak down, ruling the gang members as a minimal threat. To Henry’s surprise, Dr. Minyak grinned from ear to ear, his smirk cracked across his face._

_“What’s so funny?” Henry demanded as he pulled his second gun on the doctor._

_Minyak held his hands up at false surrenders, then said, “Nothing, just that I find it hilarious that you capped Kid Danger in order to make a name for yourself in the city.”_

_Henry growled deeply then bit out, “I’m nothing like you!” He slowly pulled his finger closer to the trigger of the weapon he was holding._

_Dr. Minyak smiled again. “You’re exactly like me, Phoenix, aren’t you? You’re dark, evil, and that’s exactly what I need on my side to take out Captain Man and the new sidekick.”_

_Henry let his finger pull the trigger the rest of the way and a loud crack echoed throughout the abandoned building they were in._

“ - Henry!” He gasped and was suddenly pulled back to the present, his eyes focused and saw Veronica staring at him. “Are you okay?”

Henry nodded, “I’m fine.” He pulled up his right sleeve to reveal the Maniacs’ logo burned into his skin. “I just can’t afford to miss this time.” 

Veronica nodded then wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. He returned the hug. She was one of the only people who stood by him on this journey. Henry almost apologized for what he was going to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> This chapter belongs to RandomNerd3 though we made a few small changes. 
> 
> Chapter Five is up just as we promised. And we promise Chapter Six will be posted within this week. But after that, we might take a week or two to update a chapter. We will update more in July since it’s summer and we have more (much more) free time. 
> 
> ~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	8. Chapter Six: Alone with Veronica

Veronica was the one who broke the hug. “So… What happened back in the Man Cave?”

Henry sighed, “Nothing much.”

“Did anything go wrong?” Veronica was suspicious. Henry looked like something terribly went wrong when he came back with Adam. 

“No, no no no. Everything’s fine. I promise,” Henry panicked. He didn’t want Veronica to know what happened, because he knew she would agree with Adam, he needed some time to relax and deal with his emotions. Henry knew that it was true, yet he was too scared to deal with them. He didn’t want himself to break down, he feared that he couldn’t pull it together again. 

Veronica knew Henry long enough to tell that he was lying. He always panicked when he told a lie, and his voice turned to a high pitch. “Please, I know you’re lying. Just spill it, okay? You can trust me. C’mon, Hen - ry.” She corrected herself from using Henry’s old nickname. That name reminded Henry of his painful past, and Veronica didn’t want to upset him with this.

Henry didn’t want to tell Veronica, but sooner or later, she would find out. “Fine… I kinda lost control and ran away.”

“Then you beat up criminals to make yourself feel better? You know you need to learn to control your emotions. You can’t just go around in your costume beating everyone up whenever you get mad. You really need to learn to control yourself. I know it’s just a year, but you can’t live like this.” 

Henry didn’t answer. He didn’t know what to say, and he didn’t want to. He was still in an enormous shock, mixed with anger and sadness. 

Veronica looked at him, and sighed. Henry was always like this ever since the tragedy. And she didn’t want this, not at all. She wanted the boy who always wore a goofy smile, loved to tell jokes, who was bright, friendly, kind, and somehow awkward to be back. She missed her Herbert. The murder had a huge influence on him, even if he didn’t mean to. It changed him into a dark, cold-hearted person. He lost his family, who he loved and cherished, after all. Veronica admitted that she was jealous of that. She never had a real family. Yes, she had parents, but they never cared about her, nor loved her. That was why she ran away, and joined the Wall Dogs. She thought the Wall Dogs would be the place she belonged. But she was wrong. The rest blamed her and kicked her out for leading Kid Danger to their hiding spot. Veronica never told anyone, but deep inside, she loved Henry. He was her first love, and the true love. She wanted to help him, but she didn’t know how…

The silent stayed a while, and Veronica was the one who broke it. “Why did you run away in the first place?”

“I found out who the new Kid Danger is,” said Henry. He couldn’t believe his boss, or ex-boss now, replaced him with his best friend. 

“And? Who is he?” Veronica was sure that Henry knew that guy, or else he wouldn’t run away. 

“Jasper,” Henry replied quietly. He didn’t want to say that word out loud, it broke his heart. He knew his ex-boss would replace him, but he had never thought of replacing him with his own best friend. Henry couldn’t believe Jasper agreed. They were best friends since preschool. He knew Jasper always wanted to be a superhero, but he thought his death would crush his dream. But apparently, it made his dream come true. Perhaps they just didn’t care about him, perhaps they felt much happier without him. 

“Wait, your friend Jasper?! Your ex-best friend Jasper? Jasper Dunlop?” Veronica was surprised. No wonder Henry looked so upset. Anyone would be like that if they were replaced by their best. 

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry.” 

Silent fell upon them again. Neither of them knew what to say. 

This time, the silence was broken by a message income alarm. Henry rushed to the computer and saw a message from Captain Man and Kid Danger:

**Please come to the Man Cave 7 in the evening tomorrow. We will explain our plan to you.**

**~Captain Man & Kid Danger**

“Come on, let’s go.” Henry nearly jumped, he totally forgot that Veronica was there.

“To where?” He was curious. Veronica didn’t answer. Instead, she led the way and Henry followed her. 

After half an hour of walking, the puzzle was finally solved. There stood Mount Swellview, and the duo was at the bottom of it.

“So we’re heading toward the top of Mount Swellview, huh?” Henry said while looking at the place which contained lots of memories, both happy and sad. 

“Yup. I figured out that you need to relax, and that’s the best spot on the list.” Veronica was very excited. It had been years since they went there together and enjoyed time together. 

“I can’t believe it’s been 4 years since we met. It doesn’t seem that long,” Henry said after they settled down. 

“Yeah, remember the first time we met? I locked you between two ball cleaning machines with your own handcuffs,” said Veronica thinking of the day they first met. “It’s really funny.”

“No it’s not. It took me nearly a whole hour to get away from that thing. And my hand was locked behind me all the time,” Henry disagreed. 

They lay on the ground, enjoying themselves with the night sky. 

“I just wish none of these have happened. It’s just ruining my life,” Henry muttered to himself. He tried to be socially awkward but after his family’s death, he couldn't smile. People told funny jokes, he tried to crack up, but he just couldn't. He felt guilty. He couldn't save his family from Dr. Minyak… _How pathetic I am!_ Henry felt as if he didn’t deserve to enjoy life as his family was in hell… He never got the chance to say his true identity - being Kid Danger, or even say goodbye to them. He would never believe such things happened. Every time when villains try to threaten him with the lives of his family members, he ought to save them and stop the villains. This wasn’t what he expected… At least, Dr. Minyak should have fought like a man, not hiding in the dark, controlling everything. And also, the worst part, he ordered his puppets to replace him and go to jail for his evil actions. What kind of person did he think he was? What a bastard! A good leader never dumped his teammates like that. He was using the innocent citizens in Swellview to do his evil acts. 

“What’s in your mind?” Veronica stared at Henry. That boy seemed to have a lot on his mind. 

“I think it’s time to tell you what happened that day.” Henry has never told Veronica the details, every time she asked about it, Henry changed the subject or just simply replied “Dr. Minyak killed them.” 

Veronica knew what Henry was talking about. He had been avoiding that subject ever since they met. She was glad that Henry finally wanted to tell her, even though it might not be happy. 

“That day, when I went home after school, I couldn’t see my mum or dad, nor Piper, I could sense something had gone wrong. And then the TV screen lit up, and… And…” Henry sobbed. 

Veronica hugged him and calmed him down. “There, there. It’s all right, okay? It’s in the past now.” 

“And… I saw Dr. Minyak on the screen. He told me he killed my family. He said that the best way to get a superhero is through his sidekick. Then…” Henry couldn’t bear to finish his sentence. He still remembered his little sister’s dead body as if it happened today. “I’m sorry. It’s just…” 

“Don’t worry. I understand.” 

Henry took a deep breath, then continued, “I saw my sister’s body, lying on the kitchen’s floor, and, and, with blood all around her, and…” 

“Calm down, Henry, calm down,” Veronica said softly, and handed Henry a handkerchief. 

Henry wiped his tears, and kept on. “I went upstairs, and called Captain Man. I made up an excuse, I told him that I needed to visit family across the country so he wouldn’t be suspicious that I was gone.” Tears came into his eyes again. “I didn’t want Captain Man to get caught up in a revenge plan. I knew he would do his best to help me if I told him about the kill. But that’s exactly what Dr. Minyak wanted. He told me himself through - through the video.” 

“I did all these for him, and he - he replaced me with - with my best friend.” Henry couldn’t take it anymore, he started crying. 

Veronica hugged him again, and she patted him on his back gently. “I’m sorry, for all your loss. I really am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> This is the first original chapter and we hope you all enjoy it. It’s really hard to write, after all this is the first time ever to write stories in our lives. Please leave a comment telling us how you think of the story. For your information, we probably won’t update until next week. 
> 
> By the way, we have come up with an ending, but we won’t tell you anything so we won’t spoil the fun. 
> 
> ~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	9. Chapter Seven: The Plan

“Are you sure?” Adam asked his friend, he was still not sure if going back to the Man Cave was a good idea. “You can send me there, and maybe someone else from the Underground.” 

“Ya, I’m fine now,” Henry insisted. He wanted to do it by himself, not someone else. “Let’s go, it’s almost 7 now.”

When vigilantes arrived, only Ray, Jasper and Charlotte were here.

"Phoenix, Ice Age, you’re finally here!” Kid Danger shouted to them. 

“Where are the others?” Adam asked curiously. “I thought everyone was coming.”

“They are. The meeting will start soon. But before that, we need to get something right," answered Jasper with a serious tone. 

Suddenly, Henry had this thought. _Oh boy!_ His serious expression bodied on something bad was going to happen. He knew Jasper too well to tell that.

“So… What do you want?” Henry asked the superheroes. 

“How do you know my name, my real one? And how did you use the tubes to leave? We have a voice recognition system,” questioned Captain Man. 

“Only people who logged their voice can use the tubes,” added Charlotte. 

“Well… We, ugh - ” Henry panicked, he was still bad at lying, even after a year of vigilante life. 

“ - We hacked the Man Cave,” Ice Age came up with a lie, he was better at this kind of thing than Henry. 

“You what?!” shouted Ray. He had Schwoz and Charlotte checked on their computer system so no one could hack it. “How did you do that? We have Schwoz check on our computer system every week.”

“We have our own ways,” replied Henry, doing his best to sound real. 

“What’s a Schwoz?” Adam asked, curiously. 

“Oh, he’s our worker who takes care of all these cool stuff and built the entire Man Cave.”

“Then, where is he now?” Henry asked, thinking about the foreign man he hadn’t seen for a year. 

“He’s having a few days off, you’ll see him next time you come here.”

“Which likely won’t happen,” muttered Henry to himself. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch you.”

“Nothing.”

Captain Man and Kid Danger shared a glance and the younger one nodded. He ran towards Phoenix and grabbed his arms. Kid Danger rudely pulled up Phoenix’s right sleeve and the mark of the Maniacs appeared. 

“Oh. My. God. You’re a spy!” Jasper yelled, surprised. 

After a year of training as Kid Danger, he knew he had to take immediate action, and he did. Jasper tried to take Henry down by punching him, but he dodged it and grabbed Jasper’s leg which made him fall on the ground. Adam used his power to create a snowball and threw it on Jasper. Ray helped Jasper to stand up, and punched Adam to the floor. Henry went back on his feet and threw a punch on Jasper, but he stopped the punch by throwing Henry away. Henry backflipped to the ground and Jasper punched him at his head but missed. Adam created some more snowballs and threw them on Jasper. Ray pulled Adam away and threatened to hurt him, but the superhero got beaten up instead. Henry saw his chance and grabbed Jasper’s arms and locked them behind Jasper. Charlotte tried to stop the fight but all her efforts were useless. 

“You know, you need to improve your skills,” said Henry, controlling his breaths. “We can’t defeat the Maniacs if none of us can fight.”

“What do you mean by _we_? Stop acting, we know you’re a spy, okay? The mark tells us everything. Just drop it!” Kid Danger shouted. 

“Yeah!” yelled Captain Man in agreement. 

“No, I’m not a spy. Please, I got it when I went undercover there,” Henry defended himself. 

“Oh you know what? You can say anything you like. But no one is gonna believe in you,” Ray replied angrily. 

“Can you stop fighting?” Charlotte cried. 

“If you were on our side, you wouldn’t beat me up and lock arms behind me,” said Jasper, ignoring his colleague. 

“Hey, you’re the one who started the fight. Besides, I’m not on your side, we only help you ‘cause we’re your enemy’s enemy. We’re never on the same side, I’m a vigilante, remember? And you’re a hero, there’s no way we’re on the same side,” Henry made himself clear to his ex-best friend. 

“But - ,” started Jasper, but was soon cut off by the arrival of the Thunder Twins. 

The elevator door opened and the Thunder Twins came out. “Hey gu - Wow, what’s going on?” Max said while surprised by the scene happening in front of him. 

Henry was distracted by the twin’s appearance and let go of Jasper. Jasper twisted Phoenix’s arms to his back like he did to Jasper earlier. 

“He is a spy, he’s one of the Maniacs!” cried Jasper. “Look at his right arm! There’s the mark.” 

“No, like what I’ve told you, I’m not a spy, I got it when I went undercover! Now let go of me!” 

“No one ever is going to believe you, right, guys?” 

“Well, actually, I believe in him,” Max said, giving Phoebe a cue. 

“Umm… Me too, I believe in Phoenix too.” Phoebe understood what Max was trying to tell her, and stood for Henry. 

Max continued, “We know Phoenix, and we believe in him.” 

“Say what now? Do you mean that you’ve met him before?” asked a confused Ray. 

“Yup, and he’s our friend,” Max stated. “Now, can you let go of him?” 

“Fine, I guess.” And with that, Jasper let go of Henry. 

“Thanks,” Henry said to the twins. 

“Anything for you, bro,” Max responded. 

Jasper ran towards Captain Man, who was currently next to the computers, and showed him something. 

“I got it!” shouted Kid Danger. 

“I’m sorry, you got what?” Henry was confused by Jasper. 

“Oh nothing. Just that your hair sample,” explained Henry’s ex-boss. 

“Why do you need my hair?” Henry was still confused. 

“So that we can run a DNA test and - ,” explained Jasper, not noticing the anger on Ray’s face. 

“ - Why do you tell him, you idiot! He’s gonna stop us from that,” Ray roared. 

“But he’s all the way there, there’s no way he can get this back,” Jasper said, pointing at Phoenix. “Hey, look! I think he's blond.” 

“What do you mean by he’s - Oh yes, he’s a blond all right!” Ray was surprised by the new discovery. 

“Um, guys,” Charlotte said. 

“Shush, can’t you see we’re busy right now?” Rudely, Ray stopped Charlotte. 

“Be careful!” screamed Charlotte. A laser shot through the Man Cave and landed on the strand of hair, burning it to dust. The superheroes looked up and saw Henry holding a laser, which he just fired. 

“You just shot the hair, all across the room!” exclaimed Jasper. 

“Yup,” smirked Henry. _Same old Jasper_ , he thought. Jasper was always like this when he was surprised, and confused. 

“How in the world did you do that?” Ray asked, surprised by the fact that Phoenix just shot the hair all the way across the Man Cave. 

“I’m good at shooting.” Henry saw the questioning glances thrown by Kid Danger and Captain Man so he added, “That’s all.” 

“Yup, he’s always good at shooting stuff. He’s the best in the Underground, in fact,” Ice Age told everyone in this room. 

“So what’s the plan for tomorrow night?” Phoebe asked, reminding them of the purpose of this meeting. 

“Right, the plan,” Ray started. “So we will meet here tomorrow night at 11. Phoenix, please bring some vigilantes from the Underground to guard the doors and the rest will go inside the building.” 

“Um, how many vigilantes exactly do you want? There are hundreds of them in the Underground,” Henry asked. 

“Just, I don’t know, like maybe ten to twenty. To tell you the truth, I don't want to make this big. We don't wanna get too much attention about this. It would be more difficult to let this plan work. So please don't bring too many vigilantes, that will just worsen our plan.” 

“No problem. I will bring the best. There is no way that I am going to let him escape like last time,” Henry said, gripping his hands. 

“Wait a second, did I miss something?” Kid Danger muddled. 

“Say Ray, how does this idea work?” Max cut in, turning a deaf ear to Kid Danger. 

“Lemme continue, please. Phoenix, divide your vigilantes into 4 groups and each of them guard at one entrance. Don't let any members of the maniacs flee. They can’t get a chance to make a break for it. Please be mindful, Phoenix. Although they are brainy enough, they are crafty and cunning. Don't get tricked by them.” 

Captain Man cleared his throat and announced, “As for Thunder Twins, you are going to be pending on my command. If anything nasty happens, I will inform you as soon as possible.” 

“Yes sir!” Max saluted like a soldier, and his sister threw him a weird look. “Can’t you just act normal for like a day?” 

“Nope.” 

“Ugh…” Phoebe groaned. 

“Stop groaning, it’s weird,” Max muttered to his sibling. 

“That’s it!” Phoebe raised her hand and prepared to lift Max up in the air with her telekinesis, and Max held up his hand too. 

“Focus, guys, _focus_ ,” Charlotte reminded, and stopped the twins from a fight. 

“As for the rest, we will go inside Old Maple Grill as I’ve just said. Remember, meet me here tomorrow at 11 at night. Please don’t be late, we don’t want our plan to be ruined.” 

“Sure.” 

“No problem.” 

“Fine for me.”

The group dismissed after that, and the vigilantes left the Man Cave. Little did they know, the others were discussing about them ever after they left. 

“So, Max, how much do you know about Phoenix?” asked Ray. 

“I’m sorry, what?” 

“I mean, since you both know each other, well, maybe he, um, told you something?” 

Phoebe figures out what the hero was trying to say and cut in, “Wait a second, are you trying to get information about Phoenix from us?” 

“No, yes, maybe, if you must put it that way,” Ray answered awkwardly. 

“Dude, there is no way that we’re going to betray our own friend, we promised him not to ever tell anyone about him, and we are keeping the promise. So, just save it. You will never get anything from us,” Max said. 

“Just a little, please.” Ray Manchester was never the kind of man who gave up easily once he was on to it, and she he wasn’t going to give up now. 

“Can’t you leave that poor boy alone? He already has enough things to worry about, you have absolutely no idea what he has come through. So please leave him alone, okay? Come on, Pheebs, let’s call Dad before he worries sick.” 

With that, Max and Phoebe left the room leaving the trio alone. 

“Charlotte, found out any information yet?” Ray asked after they were alone. 

Charlotte read from the list she had on her phone. “Yeah, about that, nothing much. Phoenix is a vigilante who first showed up a year ago and is the organizer and leader of the Underground. He is great at hand to hand fighting and known for his good marksmanship - ” 

“ - Are you saying that you know he’s good at aiming? Why didn’t you tell us?” Ray interrupted. 

“I was, but you shushed me, remember? Also, never interrupt me again.” 

“Oh right, sorry.” 

Charlotte kept on. “Phoenix hates superheroes and villains, but especially you guys - ” 

“ - Wait, he hates us?! There’s no way he hates us,” Ray exclaimed, but stopped once he noticed Charlotte was staring at him. “I mean, please continue.” 

“Thank you. Now let’s see, he protects our city Swellview and keeps villains away. And - I mean, that's all, yeah, nothing else, that’s all.” 

“Are you sure? You sure don’t look like it. You sound like you’re hiding something.” Ray was pointing out the truth, Charlotte only sounded like that when she panicked, and she only panicked when she was lying. 

“No, of course I am not hiding anything, right? Why would I do that?” Charlotte seemed like she would freak out if they kept asking her. 

An alarm broke out throughout the Man Cave, and it saved Charlotte from that awkward moment. 

“Emergency. Robbery in Swellview Park,” Jasper read out loud. 

“Let’s go.” 

And that left Charlotte the only person in the Man Cave, and allowed her to say the thing that stuck in her mind for a long time, ever since she first met Phoenix, the last line of her list. 

“And he murdered Kid Danger.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> We planned to finish this chapter two days ago, but things don’t always go by the plan, so yeah, sorry. Anyway, we got it out. 
> 
> We hope you guys enjoy this chapter, it’s so hard to write, especially the fighting scene. If it (the fighting scene) confuses you, please tell us so we can change. 
> 
> We have spotted some mistakes in the past few chapters and we will edit the whole story once it’s finished. 
> 
> Again, please comment and tell us how you feel about this chapter and what we can improve. Also, thanks to those who left comments. 
> 
> ~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	10. Chapter Eight: Hacked

The group of vigilantes quieted down as Henry and Adam stepped into their base. 

“As you all know, we are going to help Captain Man stop The Maniacs tomorrow night. Because of that, I need a team of twenty vigilantes with me. Adam,” pointing to his friend, “is going to run a test to see who’s the best for this job.”

Adam took Henry’s place and started to tell the vigilantes the details. “We are going to run the test on the training floor. And here’s a timetable, please take a look at it after this meeting. The test requires you to do a series of tasks, including hand-to-hand fighting, shooting…”

Adams voice trailed off as Henry left the room. 

——

“Charlotte really looked suspicious back in the Man Cave,” Jasper said to his boss, on the way to Swellview Park. “She panicked, you know, _panicked_.”

“Yeah, thanks for telling me that.” Ray answered impatiently. 

Jasper ignored the insult, and kept on. “I bet there's still something on the list, but why did she stop?”

The word ‘list’ pulled back Ray’s attention. “Well, maybe she didn’t wanna tell us,” he struggled. 

“I know, but why wouldn’t she? We’ve been best friends for a long time, and we share everything.” Jasper sighed. “And I miss him, Ray.” 

“I know it’s tough, but you can’t live in misery all day, how can you fight crime like this?” Ray tried to cheer up the kid. 

“That was his job,” Jasper sobbed. “I shouldn’t be doing this. He won’t be happy when he finds out.”

“Ki - ” Ray got cut off by Jasper. 

“ - Don’t call me that, that’s how you used to call him.”

“Fine, but Jasper, you need to get over it okay? He’s dead, I saw his body lying on the floor. You need to try to - ” 

“- Ray, Ray, _Ray_!” The sidekick shouted with his eyes wide open. 

“Hey! Don’t cut me off! I’m the one talking here.”

“No, Ray. You are passing Swellview Park!”

“Oh my God!”

The superhero gave his car a sharp turn, and made it to the park without any accident, unless you count nearly collided into another car, ran over the grass, and finally crashed into a bench accidentally. 

——

There was a knock on the door and Veronica entered the room. 

“Hey Henry.”

“Don’t you need to take the test?”

Veronica gave Henry a look and then shook her head. “Nah, I’m not going. Too many memories.”

“Right.” Henry almost forgot the fact Old Maple Grill used to be the Walldogs’ hideout, until he broke down the gang and sent them to jail. 

“So… What happened this time? Anything bad?”

Henry gave a bitter smile. “I don’t think I should blame them for that, I probably would do the same thing.”

——

“Ugh… Stupid Jeff, stupid stupid Jeff,” complained Captain Man once he saw the stupidest criminal in Swellview trying to rob a lady. He had put Jeff into jail like a dozen times and last time Jeff tried to steal some chips from a family, because he was hungry. Captain Man has no idea how he got out of jail this quick, and how he never grew tired of it. 

“Jeff, stop what you’re doing and put your hands above your head,” commanded Kid Danger, without bothering to ask what happened. 

“Okay,” Jeff said as he let go of the lady’s handbag and held his hands up in the air. 

The superhero sighed. _How can someone be this stupid._

“C’mon, let’s call the cops.”

——

“Jasper attacked you and tried to run a DNA test because they don’t believe you?” questioned Veronica after hearing the incident happened down in the Man Cave earlier that night. 

“Yeah,” replied the blond, looking down to his feet and sighed. “I miss them…”

Veronica sighed, she was the only one who stayed with Henry since the beginning, and the only one who knew what he had been through. She watched as the boy rose out of the tragedy, changed from everyone’s favorite superhero sidekick into a fearful vigilante no one wanted to encounter. Heroes were scared when they saw him, villains too, but they didn’t know, underneath the mask, was a boy who lost both his beloved ones and friends in one single day. It was tough to lose someone you cared about, but losing everyone you cared, was something you would never want to experience. Another sigh escaped through Veronica’s mouth, defeating a whole gang with thousands of members? It was tough for anyone, not to mention he was only an eighteen-year-old boy. Yes, he was an adult now, according to the law, but deep inside, he was still a kid, a kid who had a broken childhood, a kid looking to care and comfort. Veronica knew the boy’s heart had become a million pieces, but right now he couldn’t live like this, he still had a whole gang that needed him to defeat. She knew it was her job to slap Henry back to cruel reality, even when she wanted to lie to him, tell him all the troubles would be gone the next, she must, he couldn’t win that crazy scientist if he couldn’t even win the first round of this game. It was not about what she wanted, no, it was all about what she needed to do. 

" You need to take Dr. Minyak and his gang down.” Veronica stared at the boy as she continued, “We both know you can’t live like this, you know this is exactly what he wants, to break you down. So go out there and show him what you can do, okay?” 

A smile found its way to Henry’s face, “Thanks V.” 

——

“What can we do about Phoenix? I mean we still don’t know if we should trust him whether or not,” asked Jasper once they handed Jeff to the cops. 

“I’m not sure yet, but I do have a plan,” replied Ray in his famous Captain Man tone. 

“What’s the plan?” 

“No, no way I’m telling you the plan this time in case you spoiled it again, like you always do.” 

“Name one.” 

“Oh, sure. Remember that time when you mistook the Time Jerker as me and told him we planned to throw him into that pool?” 

“Like you said, _mistook_.” 

“Then what about you shouting out the whole plan when we were catching burglars from stealing the diamond from that jewelry shop because you were surprised?” 

“ _Surprised_.” 

“And a few hours ago, you told Phoenix we planned to run a DNA test. Seriously Jasper, can’t you just keep your mouth shut for one moment? Just _one_ moment.” 

“C’mon Ray, I promise I won’t this time,” Jasper guaranteed. 

“Wait, why does it sound _so_ familiar? Oh right, you say that _every time_ , and _every time_ , you _spoiled_ the plan!” cried Ray, finally losing his cool. 

“Please Ray, I swear it with all my heart,” pledged Jasper. 

“No, Jasper, _no_!” 

—— 

“Veronica?” Henry asked, after debating a while whether it was a nice time to ask or not.  

“Yes?” 

“So I’ve been thinking, you know, we don’t actually know if the information we have about Dr. Minyak is correct or not, and the best way to do that is by sending someone undercover, and since I know I can trust you, so umm...” 

“You want me to join the Maniacs?” Veronica helped Henry finish his sentence. 

“Yes, thanks. I mean, if you are alright with it, I can find someone else instead,” Henry said, glancing at her to see her facial expression. To his relief, she didn’t seem to be mad or angry. 

“Of course I’m fine with it, why wouldn’t I? Oh, maybe because I don’t wanna put my life in danger! You have no idea what danger you’re putting me in,” Veronica yelled. 

“Veronica,” Henry began, saying every word strong and clear. “You’re a part of our team, and being a part of our team means you ought to help the team. You’re acting selfish.” 

“Just a moment ago you told me it’s okay to say no, and now you’re yelling at me for that?” She screamed. 

“V, plea - ” Henry whispered, putting one of his hands on her shoulders to calm her down.  

“Don’t V me! And get your hand off me! You have no idea what he has done to me! None of you do!” 

Veronica sped away as she buried her head in her hands, sobbing, leaving a confused Henry in the room, asking himself what just happened. 

—— 

“Ray, just tell me about the plan, _please_?” Jasper asked once the heroes stepped out of their tubes. 

“For the last time, _no_! Can’t you just quit it?” Ray shouted at his sidekick. 

“Umm, what’s going on, guys?” Charlotte shot them a questioning look. 

“Long story short, I have a plan to test Phoenix and _Jasper_ here keeps asking me the plan ‘cause I won't tell him,” responded Ray, pointing a finger to Jasper. 

“Ray, he’s your sidekick now, you should trust him,” Charlotte told him, standing up for her best friend for life. 

“Thanks Char.” Jasper gave a pat to the girl. 

“Fine,” the old man groaned. “But you must swear never ever _ever_ tell anyone about the plan, or less you’ll be dead.” 

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” 

“Good, now for the plan.” Ray held up his right hand so he could count as he spoke. “Step One, hack the Underground. Step Two, we search if there are signs telling us they’re against us. Step Three, the end. Any questions?” 

“Nope,” replied Jasper, popping the ‘p’ sound out loud. 

“Charlotte, go to the computers and hack the Underground,” Ray demanded. “ _Please_ ,” he added seeing Charlotte raising her eyebrows. 

“Your welcome.” 

—— 

“Hey Henry.” Adam walked in. “I just saw Veronica running down the hallway crying, is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, I don’t know, she just yelled at me for putting her in danger when I mentioned the plan. And then I kinda got angry and told her she’s selfish and she said something about Dr. Minyak doing something to her.” 

“Wait, are you saying Veronica told you Dr. Minyak did something to her in the past?” Adam asked thoughtfully. 

Henry nodded his head. “What?” 

“Nothing, continue,” Adam quickly added. 

“She left the room crying after that and I think you know the rest.” Henry turned to his friend. “Did I do anything wrong?” 

“I don’t know,” Adam hesitated before answering. “I’m not a girl expert myself, you know. You should ask a girl for suggestions.” 

Henry murmured beneath his breath, “Girls are weird.” 

“Anyway, here’s the test result,” Adam said, handing a pile of paper to Henry. 

The door swung open and Spark Plug, with her eyes wide open, stood behind. 

“We’re hacked!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> We are so sorry for not updating for one and a half months, we thought we would have plenty of time to write this, but no, as it turns out, it’s the opposite. 
> 
> Please comment and tell us what you think of it, what you like about it and what you think will happen next, comments are great support to writers. 
> 
> So thanks guys for reading this story and see you next time. And sorry again for leaving you waiting for a long time. 
> 
> ~ ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	11. Chapter Nine: The Good Old Days

“Dammit!” Henry cursed as he checked his phone for time, five more minutes before midnight, and he still hadn’t gone halfway up. “I’m gonna be late.”

_Henry rushed to the Operation Center with Spark Plug on his side and Adam on another, only to see the same message appearing on every single screen:_

**Mount Swellview. Midnight.**

_“Any sign of data loss?” asked Henry after reading the words carefully, checking for any hidden message, which turned out to be negative._

_“So far, no,” Spark Plug replied without looking up, she was too busy checking their files on her computer._

_“Good.” Henry let out the breath he was holding. He didn’t want anyone to get a hold of the Underground’s plans, that would ruin everything._

_“Who do you think is behind all these?” Adam joined the conversation._

_“I think I know, but only one way to find out.” Henry said with a smirk on his face. “Tonight’s gonna be a_ long _night.”_

“Okay, here I am,” Henry called out once he reached the highest point of the mountain. 

“You’re late,” a shadow pointed out. Henry could tell it was a girl with her high-pitched voice. 

“Yeah, I know. Sorry about that, got myself into a little trouble on my way here,” Henry apologized. It was true. He was caught up in the middle of a fight between a criminal and the town’s very own Captain Man, but there was no sign of the replacement Kid Danger, probably went home for a rest. “So since I’m here, can you come out from the dark and face me?”

“Sure, but not before this,” the person replied slyly. 

Even in the dark, Henry could see a rock at the size of a fist left its owner’s hand and flew right into his face. All of a sudden, everything Henry saw slowed down, it was like somebody turned on the slow motion camera. He dodged it with ease, all thanks to his hyper-motility, the superpower he gained from some weird aliens back when he was still Captain Man’s sidekick. 

“Ah-ha! I knew it! I knew it!” The person stepped out of the shadow with a satisfied look on her face, holding her notebook on one hand, a pencil on another, adding one more fact to her list of Phoenix. 

“Charlotte,” Henry acknowledged, nodding his head. He was not shocked, he knew it would be her. It _must_ be her. She was the smartest person he had ever met, for God’s sake. “Nice to see you.”

“Nice to see you too, _Henry_.”

_“Deep breathe,” Charlotte murmured to herself. “Nothing special, you’re just going to meet someone who died a year ago. Totally normal. You’ll be fine.”_

_She looked at her reflection in the mirror. With her face paled due to the lack of blood, eyes wide open, and hair messier than Sunday mornings, she was nothing but fine._

_“Oh my God, what should I do? What should I say to him? ‘Hi’? Nah, too simple. What am I going to do? Oh my God, what if he isn’t even Henry? What if I made a mistake? Oh no, no no no no no! This isn’t happening.” shouted a panicking Charlotte._

_“Calm down, Charlotte. You’ll just have to test it yourself. Yeah, perfect. Problem solved,” she said, finally taking back control of herself._

_“Time to go.” Biting her lips, Charlotte looked at her notebook one last time before packing it into her backpack. “No turning back now.”_

The mention of his name frozen Henry, his body tensed up, and left his eyes filled with fears. He stumbled backward, nearly tripped over the rock laying under his feet, the same one Charlotte thrown, and finally gaining back his balance. 

“Umm, look, miss, I don’t know the Henry guy you’re talking about. So why don’t we just both go home and forget everything that happened today?” Henry said, clapping his hands together, praying Charlotte would buy his lies. 

“Oh come on, just some stupid dark hair spray and a voice modificator can’t hide the fact you’re my best friend. I’ve known you since elementary school, I can tell you by heart. Just admit it, please, I know you’re Henry. And by the way, your lying skills are as horrible as my hair looks right now.” 

Even Charlotte was surprised by her long speech, she thought she was going to collapse to her feet as soon as she met Henry. But somehow, she was standing here, talking, proving her point, and she even cracked a joke. 

Henry stared in the empty space, debating whether what to do next. A sigh escaped through his mouth, realizing there was no more ways of hiding the truth. He leaned against the second and last “W” of the word “Swellview” as he turned off his , and signed Charlotte to join him. 

“I’m not dreaming, right?” Charlotte mumbled, her hands clenched onto her childhood best friend. She didn’t dare to let go, she was afraid that everything would disappear and vanish in front of her once she let go, and she would lose her best friend again, as if this all was nothing but a dream, a sweet one, one that she would remember for her lifetime. 

Henry chuckled, finding the girl’s words funny, “Of course not. Is it that hard to believe I’m alive?” 

“No, it’s just that, everything seems unreal. One moment you’re six feet under, the next moment you’re standing right in front of me, talking, alive,” Charlotte said barely above a whisper. Two drops of water rolled down her cheeks, and she held up her hand to wipe them away. _Tears_ , she thought to herself. 

“I miss you so much...” Charlotte’s voice trailed off and tears rushed out from her eyes and landed her shirt like raindrops. She couldn’t hold it anymore, she wanted to scream out loud. She had been holding back her emotions for the past year, she knew at least one of them needed to snap everyone else back to reality, and she had to be that person. Ray was crying like a baby for a week, forgetting all his Captain Man duties. Jasper went straight home after school, and shut himself in his bedroom, not willing to face his friends. As for Schwoz, he buried himself in his inventions, spending all his there, until Ray decided he had been working way too much and asked him to go on a vacation. 

“Hey, Char, Char. It’s okay now. Look, I’m back.” Henry held Charlotte in his arms. She looked broken, because of him. Henry hated to think about the sorrow caused by him, he missed his friends, but he needed revenge. 

Charlotte wiped her tears and blew her nose with a handkerchief that Henry handed her. “Thanks,” she uttered gratefully. 

“How did you figure this out?” Henry asked due to curiosity. He spent days designing the plan, making sure it was foolproof. He couldn’t afford to fail. His fate was settled at the moment he pulled the trigger, and he couldn’t go back to change it. This was like a journey, and he was the passenger with a one-way ticket. He was a kid climbing a tree, only he couldn’t go down. He had to keep climbing until he reached the top, and one wrong step would cause him his life. He grew tired of this, and he wanted to rest, but how? He must keep going, even if he didn’t want to. “The plan is well-thought-out. It is flawless. Everything is staged carefully.” 

“It’s not _flawless_. Think about it, Phoenix showed up right after Kid Danger’s death. It’s obvious you killed him, but why would you kill Kid Danger instead of Henry Hart? One: you want to get Captain Man through his sidekick - ” 

Henry snorted. 

“ - Or two, you are some crazy maniac that wants to become famous by murdering the town’s hero. But either way, you want people to think Kid Danger is dead. I was first confused why you would kill him, when you could blackmail Captain Man with him. And that’s when it hit me, I recalled Ray telling me about a new Villain called the Cloner who can make clones that look exactly like a real person, even with blood and muscles. I paid him a visit and he admitted he made a clone of Kid Danger - ” 

“He what!” Henry exclaimed. 

“ - Shush. So anyway it is confirmed that Henry Hart is still somewhere in this world, alive. But yet there is another question, where is Henry Hart? He is either held captive by you and spilt everything or is _you_ , by judging you are clearly familiar with the Man Cave. Remember the time you escaped through the tubes? Well, later you told us that you guys hacked the Man Cave, but I’ve checked and there aren't any voices in the system apart from the five of us, which means you are Henry Hart himself. In addition, Jasper mentioned you’re a blond. You dodging the rock has further confirmed my suspicion.” 

“I must admit, I’m impressed. You know you should become a detective someday,” Henry joked. But then, a thought stuck Henry and his eyes widened, “Did you tell anyone about this?” 

“Nah, I’m the only one that knows your identity,” Charlotte answered. “Oh, you should also thank me for not reading all your files,” she added. 

“What do you mean?” Henry raised his eyebrow at the girl. 

“Ray asked me to hack the Underground.” 

_Charlotte walked to the monitors and started her work. Her hands stopped when her mind came across a sudden thought, and she put on her thinking face._

_“Charlotte, are you okay?” Ray questioned, obviously worried about this girl, who was staring blankly at the monitors right in front of her._

_Charlotte, on the other hand, realized she had lost trail in her thoughts, muttered a sorry under her breath and focused on her work again. Frowning at the computers, she mumbled, “Umm guys, I don’t think I could hack into their computer system. So yeah, sorry.”_

_Just as Ray opened his mouth to speak, another warning broke out and saved Charlotte like the one a few hours ago._

_“Seriously, again?” Jasper complained. “We just came back from the last one.”_

_Ray sighed and told Jasper, “You go get some sleep, I’ll handle this one.”_

_The Man Cave became quiet again when the two boys left, one heading home for some rest while another going to the juicy crime scene. The silence didn’t stay there for long as Charlotte started typing on the keyboard. Soon a message appeared:_

**_Mount Swellview. Midnight._ **

“I guess thanks,” Henry said after hearing how Charlotte saved his files from leaking out. 

“Now it's your turn. Tell me where you have been for the past year.” 

“Long story short, I ran away, created this persona called Phoenix, and killed Kid Danger. I built the Underground with the help of Veronica. And before you ask, yes, the _Walldog_ Veronica. I’ve been living there for the past year. The end.” Henry caught Charlotte staring at him. “What?”

“Let me rephrase that: tell me _in detail_ where you have been for the past year.” 

“Well, prepare yourself. This is gonna be a long talk.” Henry told Charlotte how he came home, finding out his parents went missing, Piper’s dead body lying on the kitchen corner, and the message Dr. Minyak left for him. _The best way to get a superhero is tearing apart his sidekick…_ Henry recalled silently. This was the reason behind the disappearance. He needed to protect Ray. Swellview couldn’t bear to lose their superhero, the whole town would become a mess. He told Charlotte how he met Veronica on the cliff, the very own cliff where they were sitting right now. He told her his visit to the Cloner, and the murder of Kid Danger. The press conference, the Maniacs, the visit to Hiddenview, Max and Phoebe, starting the Underground, and recently receiving the SOS. He told Charlotte everything. Every single thing. 

Charlotte chose to be quiet for the whole speech, sobbing to herself. She didn’t realize how much her friend had been through until this moment. She felt as if she could feel every emotion Henry had experienced before, but at the same time, she couldn’t. She thought she had suffered enough, but she was wrong. What Henry had to bear was beyond her imagination. She could actually _see_ all the responsibilities stacking up on Henry’s shoulders, draining his energy day by day. She couldn’t tell when it was the last time the boy had rested, he looked like he hadn’t slept for ages. She put her hands onto Henry’s, giving them a squeeze, hoping this would take the pain away. She knew he took the blame himself, thinking he was the reason why his family was killed. He shouldn’t be caught up in all this, nobody should. He was just a boy, an average boy who wanted to fight for peace and justice for the people in Swellview. But by doing this, he put his life and his loved ones in danger. He didn’t deserve all this. He deserved peace, he deserved justice, or even more, happiness. Charlotte looked into Henry’s eyes, which were used to twinkling with joy now was clouded with grief. 

Henry gave Charlotte an assuring smile, telling her everything would be better. No, he didn’t know why he was doing this. He didn’t even believe in the words he just said himself. 

A glitter of light caught both of their gazes, and their eyes shined as they traced the origin of the gleam. “It’s a shooting star,” Charlotte whispered. “Make a wish,” Henry breathed. They didn’t share their wishes, people said that wishes won't come true if you tell others about it, but deep down, as if they had telepath, they knew they wished for the exact same thing. 

_I wish we could go back to the good old days._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Hey guys. We know it’s been a while since we last updated, and we are every sorry for that.
> 
> Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
> 
> See you in the next decade!
> 
> ~ ZoeyJH06 & hellothergirlypops


	12. Chapter Ten: Promise?

“Veronica? Veronica!” Henry shouted when he saw the said girl hurrying her way through the corridor. 

“Leave me alone!” She yelled as she stormed away. “I don’t want to talk to you!”

Henry sighed as he watched the girl’s silhouette fading away. 

_ Henry and Charlotte sat under the Swellview sign, thinking about their past, back when they were just some average kids.  _

_ “I miss you, I miss Jasper, I miss everyone. It’s just, there’s no turning back now,” Henry sighed. “I miss being normal. No superheroes, no supervillains, no superpowers, just plain old Henry Hart... Why did I sign up for this job in the first place?” _

_ “None of this would happen if I didn’t tell you about the job of being a part time helper in a store called Junk ‘N’ Stuff,” Charlotte responde. “We would be in twelfth grade, applying for college like normal kids do.” _

_ Silence hung around them as they flashed back to the day where Henry got his job as Kid Danger.  _

_ “I was so young back then,” Henry remarked.  _

_ The two of them sat there, lost in deep thoughts.  _

_ “Ooh! Remember that day Piper caught you sneaking in?” _

_ Henry cringed at the thought of his family, but replied nonetheless.  _

_ “I got grounded for two weeks and I was worried that you would replace me as Kid Danger,” Henry chuckled. “You hugged me with pig slop covering your whole body.” _

_ “It’s really gross.” _

_ “Yeah… Jasper really wanted to be a superhero, remember? He asked us if he could fight crimes the day I accidentally revealed myself to him. How does he feel when he is one now?” _

_ “Henry, don’t be mad,” Charlotte comforted.  _

_ “How can I not be mad when my best friend replaces me?” Henry exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air due to frustration.  _

_ “He didn’t want to replace you, but with the Maniacs running around the town, Ray couldn’t do it alone. He needed some help. That’s why he hired you in the first place.” _

_ “I know…” _

“Henry, who was it yesterday?” Taking a seat next to his friend, Adam asked. 

“Henry?” Adam snapped his fingers at the boy in front of him, making him jump in surprise. 

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I  _ said _ , who was it yesterday?” Adam repeated his question from earlier. 

“Someone,” Henry answered. “Don’t worry, our files are safe. she promised me not to read them.”

“She?” Adam questioned. 

“Yeah, a friend from my past,” Henry explained, not wanting to specify which friend she was. “Speaking of which, do you know what’s wrong with Veronica? She has been ignoring me the entire morning.”

“Don’t know,” Adam shrugged. “Anyway, we need to train the vigilantes for the fight tonight. C’mon, let’s go.”

Henry followed his sidekick towards the training floor, where the selected vigilantes were already waiting there. 

“Attention please!” Henry yelled at the top of his lungs, silencing the group of vigilantes. 

“As you all know, the twenty of you are the best in the Underground, and you are selected to help Captain Man and Kid Danger to defeat the Maniacs, and most importantly, Dr. Minyak. 

“Dr. Minyak is the one who killed my family, the reason why I am here today. I hope that we can defeat him once and for all, I have already failed once, and I don’t want it to happen again. Everyone, please do your best tonight. You may continue your training.”

Henry partnered up with a vigilante named Blaze who could control fire. He was a twenty-year-old man who just joined the Underground last month. 

Blaze aimed a ball of fire at Henry, which he dodged easily with his super fast reflexes. Henry threw a punch, only to meet with his opponent’s blazing hands. Henry shot back in surprise, and Blaze took this opportunity to knock Henry down. 

“Nice,” Henry complimented as he got up from the floor. 

Henry spent the next few fours training with his fellow vigilantes. Each one of them had their own skills or powers, and together, they were as powerful as an army. 

“Adam,” Henry called out, sweating. “I need to go and check on Veronica. You’re in charge.” 

Henry walked away from the room, heading for Veronica’s room. He was worried about her, she hadn’t talked to him ever after she ran away from him yesterday, with tears in her eyes. This had never happened since their encounter a year ago, when he first became Phoenix. Veronica was always there, by his side, encouraging him no matter what. Yes, they had had fights before, but a whole day? This had never happened before. She was his best friend, his family. 

Raising his hand, Henry knocked on the door in front of him. 

“Veronica, are you okay?” Henry asked out of concern, hearing some crying and sniffing inside the room. 

“Yes, I’m fine!” Veronica cried through the door, her voice cracking from crying. “You can go now, Henry.” 

“V, let me in, please,” the boy pleaded. “I’m worried about you.” 

Veronica groaned in annoyance, but opened the door nevertheless. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Henry said as he stepped into the room. Veronica’s eyes were red from crying, and her hair was a mess. 

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she insisted. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I was just a bit surprised. I’ll go undercover in the Maniacs.” 

“You don’t need to go if you don’t want to,” Henry spoked up. 

Veronica shook her head before answering, “No, you were right. I was being selfish. I haven’t done any contribution to the Underground. Don’t worry, I’ll go.” 

“You don’t need to do it, you know. You’ve done a lot, there wouldn’t be an organization called the Underground if it wasn’t for you. I can ask someone else to do it. It doesn’t have to be you.” 

“I can do it, really.” Veronica gave Henry a reassuring smile before she continued, “You can’t trust everyone in the Underground, you know that. I know I’m the one you trust the most. That’s why you asked me instead of someone else. I kinda freaked out yesterday. It’s just undercover. No big deal.” 

“You sure it’s no big deal? ‘Cause you look like you’ve gone through hell,” Henry remarked. 

“I’ll be fine,” Veronica assured Henry. “Don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen. I can take care of myself.” 

“Promise?”  

Henry couldn’t bear to lose someone he loved again, let alone the only one that he had after that tragic event. Veronica was like a ray of light in the darkness, his guiding light. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if he didn’t meet her, but one thing for sure, he wouldn’t be here plotting revenge today. 

“Promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> It’s been two months since our last update, we are sorry for this. With the entire plot planned out (there are a total of sixteen chapters with a prologue and an epilogue, we will update much more frequently, and hopefully, we will finish this story before the series ends.
> 
> If you like this chapter, please kindly leave a comment. Thank you.
> 
> ~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	13. Chapter Eleven: Trap

Henry guided the vigilantes through the door and into the fake store. He had them separated into four groups, five people each. After some arguments, they had selected the fire based vigilante Blaze, Mirage the illusionist, Shift the shapeshifter, and Snake the poisoner. The four of them were the best they had in the Underground except Henry and Adam, who had been his sidekick since he first became Phoenix. 

Henry stepped into the elevator with two groups of vigilantes. The other two groups had already gone down into the Man Cave with Adam, as the elevator couldn’t take in twenty two people at the same time. 

“Okay, you better grab on something,” Henry warned. 

A female vigilante spoke up, “Why should we do that?”

“Because of this,” he answered with a smirk dancing on his lips before he pressed the button. 

“Ahh!” The elevator was filled with screams before hitting the ground. 

“I guess everyone’s here.” They were greeted by Captain Man the second the elevator door opened. “We’ll revise the plan before heading out just in case some of you forgot about it.”

Ray showed them a whiteboard with colorful drawings on it. 

“I see Phoenix has divided the vigilantes into four groups. So,” he began, pointing to the whiteboard beside him. “Each group will guard one entrance of the Old Maple Grill. You can take out everyone who tries to escape. 

“Thunder Twins, you will be pending on my command. I’ll tell you when to show up. Remember, hide, don’t let anyone see you two. You are our backups. 

“As for Phoenix and Ice Age, you two will follow Kid Danger and I to take out Dr. Minyak. We will sneak through the back of the building and enter the hall where the Maniacs are having their meeting. We need to be quiet so that we can take them out by surprise,” he finished. 

“Any questions?” Kid Danger added, scanning everyone in the room. When nobody replied, he said, “No? Okay, let’s go.”

The team had a hard time getting back upstairs through the elevator, but besides that, the trip to the Old Maple Grill was quite smooth. 

As soon as the vigilantes got off the Man Van, they went to their designed spots, guarding the four entrances and the only entrance of the building. The Thunder Twins hid in a dark alley next to the building, waiting for Captain Man’s command. 

“Have you spotted Dr. Minyak yet?” Ray asked the three teens aside him. They had been hiding for a while twenty minutes, but Dr. Minyak still hadn’t appeared. 

“No, I don’t think so,” Henry spoke without looking up and Adam nodded in agreement. They were hiding on the upstairs of the Old Maple Grill spying on the Maniacs. The building looked almost the same to Henry, beside the giant tank of paint that was gone, everything else was still the same since he last went there to go undercover six years ago. He took out the entire Wall Dog with Captain Man there, except Veronica. He let her escape….

Henry stopped his train of thoughts before it went too far. He couldn’t afford a mental breakdown right now. 

“Hey, look!” Kid Danger pointed to a man who just entered the room. “I think that’s him.”

Henry looked down to see the villain stepping up to the front. He was dressed in his usual overcoat, a collared shirt with a necktie and black trousers. People would generally assume that he was anything but a villain with such clothing, but after all those encounters, Henry could say that he was one of the most dangerous villains out there. 

“That’s him alright.” Henry could easily recognize his family’s killer, no matter how many disguises he put on, let alone none. 

“On the count of three,” Captain Man said. “One. Two. Three!”

The four of them ran down the stairs, with Captain Man and Kid Danger holding their lasers towards the gang. 

“Well hello there, Captain Man and Kid Danger.

Phoenix,” Dr. Minyak greeted them in his signature Australian accent. After hesitating for a moment, as if trying to remember the name of the sidekick, he added, “And whoever that is.” 

“It’s Ice Age,” Adam noted. 

“Whatever.” 

“All weapons on the floor!” Captain Man ordered. The Maniacs slowly put down their weapons as Kid Danger kicked them aside. 

Henry watched as the duo worked in perfect harmony, as if he was the odd one out.  _ It used to be me… _ He told himself bitterly, reminding himself of the good old days when he was Captain Man’s sidekick. Henry stared at his replacement, feeling left out. 

Just then, a bunch of people rushed out from their hiding spots, each with weapons in their hands pointing at the team.   

“What’s going on?” Kid Danger panicked. 

“Tsk tsk,” Dr. Minyak said with a smug look on his face. “Do you seriously think that my people would be stupid enough to accidentally leak out our location?” 

“TwitFlash, tagging, Old Maple Grill…” Henry’s eyes widened as he was struck with realization. “This is a trap.” 

“Ding ding ding! We have a winner!” Dr. Minyak exclaimed in an over dramatic voice, exaggerating this gesture by raising his hands up to his head. 

“Captain Man and Kid Danger, I know you two are up to something when you didn’t try to do anything to stop us for two entire weeks. I asked my assistant to ‘accidentally’ leak out the location for our next ‘tagging’ so that we can attack you when you least expected. It sure worked. 

“But, I must admit, I didn’t expect you to team up with the Underground. I’d say, this is a smart move. They’re a strong team. I myself have recruited them, unsuccessfully of course. Oh, by the way, Phoenix,” Dr. Minyak nodded his head to Henry. “The offer still stands.” 

“I will never work for you,” Henry spat out. 

“For once I was thinking of sparing you,” The evil genius murmured to himself. “Alright then. Attack!” 

Everyone present in the room darted towards the heroes, throwing punches to them. More and more of them had rushed through the doors and entered the room to join the huge fight. The room was filled with chaos. 

Things were the same outside the Old Maple Grill. The Maniacs outnumbered the vigilantes, and there was nothing they could do to stop them from hurrying in the building. 

Dodging a punch, Henry aimed his gun at the man who just tried to attack him. He pulled the trigger and a bullet flew straight towards the man. He waited for the man to fall to the ground with blood leaking out of his chest. However, none of this happened. The bullet bounced off the second it touched the man. Henry gasped in surprise, switching his gaze between the man and the bullet, trying to figure out what was going on. 

“What the hell?” Henry cried. 

“Yes, it worked,” Dr. Minyak said to himself before facing back to the guys. “You see, they are indestructible, just like Captain Man there.” 

“How did you manage to do that?” Ray scowled. 

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out,” Dr. Minyak replied. 

“Now, enough of playing around. It’s time to end you two here once and for all. Phoenix and Ice Age there will be a bonus to me, seeing how they ruined my original plan. They’ve caused me more trouble than I thought. Especially Phoenix.” 

Dr. Minyak slowly walked towards the center of the room where Captain Man and Kid Danger were, with a bottle of tears of the jolly beetles in one hand and a gun in another. 

“Thunder Twins,” Captain Man spoke, using the earpiece Charlotte gave them earlier. “We need your help to get us out of here. There are too many of them. Be careful, they’re all somehow indestructible.” 

Taking this as the cue, the Thunder Twins came out of their hiding spot and freezed everyone in sight, including the vigilantes from their team, with their super freeze breath, a twin power that they just discovered. Even though the entire gang was indestructible, they weren’t as strong as Captain Man to break through the ice within seconds. Then the twins unfreezed their teammate, freeing them from the unbreakable ice. 

Phoebe and Max walked into the Old Maple Grill and freezed all the villains who were near the entrance. 

“Thunder Twins?” Dr. Minyak roared. “What are they doing here?” 

“Looks like our backups are here,” Captain Man said. “C’mon. We have to go now.” 

The superheroes made their way through the freezed crowd and exited the Old Maple Grill. 

“That,” Adam remarked. “Was way too close.” 

Behind them, they could hear Dr. Minyak shouting. 

“Listen here, Captain Man and Kid Danger! You may win this round, but I won’t go this easy next time!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Okay, so here’s chapter eleven. We’ll update once or twice a week from now on in order to finish this before the show ends. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> ~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	14. Chapter Twelve: We Got a Situation

It was almost 10 but Jasper was still in the Man Cave, trying to figure out a plan to defeat the Maniacs. Charlotte went home two hours ago, when her mom called, questioning why she wasn't back yet. Ever since he decided to leave his room and face his friends, he had been spending almost every minute in his life in the Man Cave. There wasn’t anywhere else he could go. He didn’t have any friends other than Henry and Charlotte, with Henry gone, there was only Charlotte left. He didn’t like to go to the park, or the library, or any other random places in Swellview. The only place he felt comfortable with was the Man Cave. He sometimes liked to imagine that Henry was going to come down the tubes, crack a few jokes, and tell him that everything was just a dream. 

“Son. Son?” Ray called out from the other side of the room. “You need to go home. It’s getting late and Swellview is dangerous at night these days.”

“Don’t worry, Ray,” Jasper replied confidently. “I can handle a few thugs.”

“Jasper, as your boss, I command you to go home and rest or else you’re fired,” Ray threatened. 

“Fine,” Jasper sighed. He didn’t really want to go home. His parents didn’t care about his well-being, there was no reason for him to go home. 

He walked into the forever-broken elevator and went back up to the fake store. Hopping on his bicycle, he recalled his memory of the last time he saw Henry. 

_It was a normal school day, everything seemed normal at that time. He and Charlotte were waiting for Henry before his locker to go to work together._

_“Hey guys.” He saw Henry running towards him. “Sorry but I need to go home first, mom called me earlier to help her to grab some groceries.”_

_“You know, we can go with you,” Charlotte suggested._

_“Nah, you two go without me. I’ll be there in an hour.”_

_“Okay, bye, Hen,” Jasper said._

Jasper sighed, regretting his decision. If only he knew this was the last time he ever saw his best friend, there was no way he was going to leave. If only he had followed Henry home that day, maybe none of this would happen. _If only…_ He remembered that conversation Henry had with Ray, he should know something was wrong with Henry by how broken his voice sounded. But no, he didn’t pay any attention to it, instead he was blaming Henry for not informing him about the trip. _I was such a terrible friend._ He sighed again. 

Just as Jasper parked his bike in front of his house, two shadows came out of nowhere and grabbed him by force. 

“Hey, let me go!”

This was the last thing he remembered before blacking out. 

——

The next few days were rather uneventful for Henry, to say the least, Ray decided they needed some time to rest before their next strike, which was, in other words, he still hadn’t come up with a plan yet. That was, until a message came in on the fourth day’s morning that disturbed all the peace and silence Henry got, which wasn’t a lot, considering he was living a dangerous vigilante life in the Underground. 

**_We got a situation. Meet me here._ **

Henry froze at the words shown on the screen. He could tell that the message was written in a rush, Ray didn’t even bother to put down the words ‘Man Cave’. But what really got on his nerves was the next line in this message. 

**_~ Captain Man_ **

Instead of signing this message off by saying ‘Captain Man and Kid Danger’, there was only ‘Captain Man’. Sure Henry was smart enough to put two and two together and realize that something was wrong with Jasper. 

His gaze lingered at the message as anxiety raised. _No, no, it can’t be him. Can it? Please, let Jasper be okay. Please. Ray can’t lose another sidekick._

Despite knowing this wouldn’t change anything, Henry kept praying in his mind that Jasper would be fine. He grabbed his suit and put it on in a rush, with Adam following behind him without missing a beat. 

Henry knew he was driving way off the speed limit, but he didn’t care. He needed to get there as soon as possible. His breath was thick when they got out of the car, and he could feel his heart pounding against him. 

“Captain Man! What’s wrong? What’s the situation? Is everyone okay? What happened?” Henry bombed Ray with a series of questions when he stepped out of the elevator with Adam. 

“Dr. Minyak has Jasper,” the superhero said in a serious tone, nothing like his usual childish self. The hint of tiredness in his voice and the bags below his eyes showed that he didn’t get any rest for a long time. 

“What happened?” Although Henry had a feeling that this would happen, he still felt as if he was struck by lightning. 

Ray started tapping his chin as he traced back his thoughts. 

_It was almost midnight when Ray was woken up by the sound of an emergency alarm. Almost immediately he grabbed the phone on his nightstand._

_“Hello? Captain Man emergency hotline, this is Captain Man speaking. How may I help you?” Ray had this sentence memorized by heart, after all, he had been saying this for the past twenty years._

“Help! I am trapped in my car. I don’t know why but the door just won’t open. Help me!” 

_“Don’t worry, Kid Danger and I will go and help you out.”_

_After putting down the location of the emergency, Ray called Jasper but nobody answered._

_“Huh? That’s weird,” he muttered to himself. Jasper had never missed a call ever since he became a sidekick. Ray tried again, but the result was the same._

_He pulled on a shirt and headed out to Jasper's house. He tapped on Jasper’s window, when nobody answered, he zapped it and opened it by force. Jasper’s room was clean, unlike an usual teenage boy’s messy room._

_“Jasper?” he called out to the empty room. He could feel his stomach dropping when nobody answered. He went back to the Man Cave after that._

_“Schwoz?” Ray shouted, praying that Schwoz, who was back from his break a day ago, knew where Jasper was. “Do you know where Jasper is? I can’t contact him.”_

_“No.” The foreign scientist walked out of his room, rubbing his eyes. “Didn’t he go home?”_

_“I did, but when I called him, he didn’t answer.”_

_“Maybe he’s just tired and didn’t hear it. Did you go to his house to search for him?” Schwoz suggested._

_“No, I didn’t,” Ray replied in a sarcastic tone. “Of course I did! But nobody’s there.”_

_“Why don’t you call Charlotte and ask her where Jasper is? They are probably together in the Swellview Cemetery, you know…” he trailed off._

_“Right.”_

_Ray took out his phone and dialed Charlotte’s number._

“Hi Ray, what’s - ” _Charlotte stopped and broke into a yawn before finishing her sentence._ “ - up?” 

_“Charlotte, please tell me you’re with Jasper.”_

“I’m not. I haven’t seen him since I came back home, which was - ” _She stopped to take a look at the time._ “ - almost five hours ago.” 

_“Dammit,” Ray groaned._

“What’s wrong, Ray?” 

_“Jasper’s missing. I can’t find him anywhere.”_

“Wait, I’ll be there in a few minutes,” _Charlotte said before hanging up._

“We spent hours searching for him, but we still couldn’t find anything. That's why we called you for your help,” Ray finished. “I thought maybe you can help us to look for him, with all the members in the Underground.” 

“Wait,” Adam butted in. “What happened to that guy who was stuck in his own car.” 

“I knew I forgot something,” Ray uttered at the same time Charlotte said “There was a guy stuck in his own car? How did that even happen in the first place?” 

“Didn’t you listen?” Adam asked Charlotte. 

“No, I was too busy looking for Jasper,” Charlotte responded.  

“Hey guys, look!” Schwoz exclaimed, pointing at the monitor. “I think I got a signal.” 

“Really?” Henry darted through the room. 

“Oh, I lost it.” 

“ _Schwoz_!” Everyone in the Man Cave except Adam yelled in union.  

“Sorry,” Schwoz apologized. 

An alarm sounded and the words ‘income video call’ were shown on the screens. 

 _“Hello, Captain Man,”_ Dr. Minyak appeared. _“I see you’ve been searching for your sidekick for the past twelve hours. Lucky for you, you don’t need to anymore. He’s right here with me.”_ He paused to show Jasper ties up in a chair. 

 _“Hmmm! Hmmm!”_ Jasper’s voice was muffled because of the cloth stuck inside his mouth. 

_“Don’t worry, he’s fine, just a little beaten up, but alive. I still need him for a hostage. After all, the best way to get a superhero is tearing apart his sidekick. Am I right, Phoenix? No worries. I won’t tell him about it, not yet.”_

“I don’t know what you're talking about,” Henry retorted defensively. 

 _“Oh, you do._ _Listen closely, Captain Man. If you ever try to stop us again, this boy here suffers. So, Jasper Dunlop, huh? Hiring your dead sidekick’s best friend as your new sidekick, how did he even agree to this? Didn’t he know what happened to_ Henry Hart _.”_

Henry winced at his name as Ray threatened Dr. Minyak, “Don’t you ever dare to speak his name.” 

 _“Phoenix, here’s a gift for you too. Bring her in,”_ he ordered. A girl was dragged into the room, struggling her way out of the ropes. 

“Veronica!” Henry cried. 

 _“So, I see you recognized her,”_ Dr. Minyak smirked. _“The same goes for her. You strike, she suffers. Ta-ta!”_ He ended the video call afterward. 

“We need to stop him,” Ray spoke up after a long silence. 

“But how?” Henry was pacing around the room, rushing his hand through his hair. “You heard what he said.” 

“We need to rescue them first,” Adam popped up. 

“Geese, _thanks_. But how are we going to do that? We don’t even know where they are!” Henry threw his hands up in the air in despair.  

“Umm, guys?” Charlotte cut in. “Actually I think I know where they are.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah. I think they’re in an old warehouse between Swellview and Bordertown.” 

“Come on, let’s go,” Ray decided, walking towards the tubes. 

“Wait, what? Dude, we can’t just go there like this.” Henry grabbed Ray and pulled him back.  

“You’re right, we need a plan.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Thanks for reading this story.
> 
> Fun fact: I yawned for at least five times when writing Charlotte’s yawning scene, and twice the next day checking for mistakes. (I just yawned again.)
> 
> ~ ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	15. Chapter Thirteen: The Cloner

“Anyone got a plan?” Ray questioned. He called the Thunder Twins to come here after the video massage, which was three hours ago, and since then, they had been trying to figure something out. 

Nobody answered. 

“Uh, guys, anything?” He tried again. 

Complete silence. 

“Charlotte? Do you have a plan?”

“No, sorry.”

Henry groaned, “Just admit it, we failed, we failed miserably. There’s no way we could take out Dr. Minyak. Not to mention all his goons somehow received indestructibility.”

“Are you okay?” Adam asked in concern. 

“No, I am not okay!” Henry cried. 

“I lost, we lost, Captain Man lost. The villain finally won. We can’t stop him, he’s too powerful for us,” he stopped and walked towards the elevator. “I have to go.”

“Wait, Phoenix,” Adam yelled, before stopping himself to apologize. “Sorry about that.”

He ran off after Henry and found him leaning against the wall in a dark alley. 

“Hey, Henry,” Adam whispered softly. 

“There’s no use, he won. Dr. Minyak has Jasper  _ and _ Veronica, and it’s all my fault. I’m the reason why Jasper is doing this job, and I’m the person who sent Veronica right into this mess. None of these would happen if I didn’t accept this job in the first place, we could be living a normal life, away from this superhero business. My family would still be alive, and we could be all happy, and  _ normal _ …” Henry’s voice trailed off as he broke into tears. 

“Come on, let’s head back to the Underground.” Adam gave Henry a pat on the back. 

“Yeah, let’s go,” Henry agreed. 

They arrived at the Underground after a half-an-hour car ride filled with awkward silence. Henry went straight to his room, only to find someone sitting on his bed. 

“Hello, Henry Hart,” the mysterious person addressed. 

“Cloner?” Henry asked, after hesitating for a moment. It had been a year since his short encounter with the Cloner, and he wasn’t one hundred percent sure if the person standing in front of him was the Cloner or not. “How did you get in here?”

“Where’s Veronica?” The supposedly Cloner person demanded, ignoring Henry’s question. “She hasn’t answered my calls or replied to my messages for three days.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just tell me!” The Cloner grabbed Henry’s shirt and pulled him until their noses almost touched. 

The boy said guiltily after struggling his way out of the Cloner’s firm grip, “Long story short, I kinda sent her to go undercover in the Maniacs but then Dr. Minyak took her into his custody.”

“What did you just say?” The Cloner grasped Henry’s neck, almost choking him to death. 

“Hey!” Henry yelled. “I can’t breathe!” 

The Cloner threw Henry to the floor and kicked him on the side. “You idiot! Why would you do that? Didn’t she tell you what Dr. Minyak did to her?”

Henry stood up, rubbing his neck and his side. “No?”

The Cloner exhaled deeply, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do it. It’s just, she’s like the sister I never have. How could you do that? I guess I can’t blame you but still?” He stopped and saw Henry staring at him like he had gone crazy. “Did she seriously not mention anything about Dr. Minyak?”

“Well,” Henry pondered. “She once said quote unquote, I have no idea what Dr. Minyak has done to her, but that’s it. Nothing else.”

“Guess we’re having a little flashback then,” the Cloner sighed. 

_ Veronica and the Cloner first met in the dark cells in Dr. Minyak’s laboratory, back when he wasn’t a threat to Swellview, or at least that was what he pretended to be. Dr. Minyak had been kidnapping homeless people in order to run tests on them, trying to give them superpowers, so that he could start an entire army against Captain Man and Kid Danger. Why homeless people? Because nobody would ever notice they were gone, let alone Captain Man or Kid Danger. Dr. Minyak treated the test subjects horribly, he beat them up when he was raged, which happened almost everyday, and he only gave them little food to eat, because he didn’t want to waste money on them.   _

_ The time Veronica arrived, the Cloner had already gone through a few tests, and received his powers. They were strangers, but as time went on, they started chatting. He and Veronica talked about everything, and he opened up to her, something he had never done before. He saw Veronica as the little sister he never had.  _

_ The Cloner knew that someday he would lose Veronica, something he never dared himself to consider. He knew Veronica was tough, seeing how she held out against the torturing she received everyday, but she would never survive the tests. The tests were horrible, no, not horrible, horrendous. Most of the test subjects met their doom the second they entered the room, some turned into ash, some were poisoned, some survived the tests, but soon died due to the side effects. The Cloner was one of the few lucky ones. He decided to sneak Veronica out.  _

_ One day, he saw the chance. Dr. Minyak was put into jail again and his stupid minions left the cell door open after feeding them. He and Veronica ran away, and the first thing he did after that was digging out the chip injected in both his and Veronica’s arms, causing her to scream in pain. The Cloner told Veronica that they needed to split up, because he knew that the minions would only focus on chasing him down, as he was the special one, while Veronica was just a random girl. She didn’t agree, but he lied to her, saying everything would be fine. She knew it was a lie, but obeyed nonetheless. Veronica went for the north when the Cloner for the south. He was soon tracked down by the minions, but Veronica had fled.  _

_ When Dr. Minyak returned, the Cloner received more beating than usual. This lasted for half a year, until he finally found a chance to escape.  _

“Oh, sorry,” Henry said quietly after the Cloner finished. “I didn’t know that. There’s no way I’d send Veronica back if I knew what she has been through.” 

“It’s too late to say that now.” 

Henry sighed, “I know.” 

“Wait, if the tests are this dangerous, how come every member in the Maniacs gained indestructibility?” 

The Cloner snorted, “After running hundreds of tests on people, Dr. Minyak finally came to his senses and realized that he needed to stop. He changed his tests a bit and figured out a way to give people temporary power that lasts for about an hour. He then developed a drug with the results of the tests.” 

“Wait,” Henry stopped the Cloner. “Is the drug like the candy Sugar Fuzz?” 

“How did you know?” The Cloner looked at the boy in surprise. 

“I’ve seen it once,” he shrugged. His brain automatically flashed back to the drug production in the abandoned building he saw half a year ago. He touched the Maniacs logo burnt to his skin that day, remembering what happened that day, he could get his revenge on Dr. Minyak easily, but he let it slip through his fingers, and let Dr. Minyak get him instead. But there was one thing that the villain didn’t expect, that Henry was willing to do  _ anything _ to get revenge. Anything. 

“Is there anything that can, like, I don’t know, turn off their powers?” Henry asked the Cloner. 

“Yeah, there is, but it’s rare.” The Cloner leaned closely towards Henry. “Have you ever heard of something called zeridium?” 

Henry knew that he had heard of that word somewhere, and then it clicked.  _ The radioactive substance used for the time machine when Ray and I went back in time to fight Drex! _

“I think I have a plan now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> We hope you enjoyed this chapter. Again thanks for checking out this story. 
> 
> ~ ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	16. Chapter Fourteen: Not This Time

“What do you mean?” the Cloner asked, clueless of what Henry was talking about. 

“I think there’s some zeridium left and I can add them into the drugs so that they will be disabled. Captain Man and I can rescue Veronica and Jasper before they realize there's something wrong with the drugs,” Henry murmured, half explaining and half talking to himself. 

“I need to go to the Man Cave right now.” Henry stood up and headed for the door. 

“Wait, you still owe me a favor,” the Cloner stopped him. 

“What do you want me to do?”

“Please make sure that Veronica is safe. She means a lot to me,” he pleaded. 

“Don’t worry, I will.” Henry gave the Cloner a reassuring smile. “She means a lot to me too.”

Henry dashed to Adam’s room, finding his friend sitting on his bed. 

“Adam! I know how we can save them,” Henry cried in delight the second he saw Adam. “Come on, we need to go.”

“How come?” Adam raised an eyebrow, confused with Henry’s sudden excitement. 

“The Cloner told me that Veronica and him met during Dr. Minyak’s experiments but that’s not the point here. He told me that he overheard that the drugs they use to gain their superpower can be cancelled out by zeridium and I think there’s some in the Man Cave.”

“I knew it!” Henry could hear Adam murmuring under his breath. 

“Know what?” It was Henry’s turn to be confused. 

“Well,” Adam sighed. “I was one of the test subjects in Dr. Minyak’s experiment. I had a feeling that I met Veronica there but she never admitted it.”

“Why don’t you tell me?” Henry looked at his sidekick in disbelief. “Have you known about this the whole time?”

“Yes,” Adam confessed. “It’s just, it’s not my place to tell you that.”

“Guess you’re right,” Henry muttered. “Anyway, we have to go now.”

After another car ride for half an hour - this time not as awkward as the last one - they arrived at the Man Cave, for the second time that day. 

“Phoenix,” Ray said in surprise and Charlotte gave Henry a look asking ‘what’s going on’, which Henry replied by mouthing ‘you’ll see’. “What brings you here?”

“I think I have a plan,” Henry replied. 

“What’s the plan?” Ray asked, leaning against the couch in the middle of the room. 

“You see, the Maniacs are taking a super drug that can give them superpowers, and zeridium can cancel the drug out,” Henry explained. “We can go to their drug-making factory - I’ve been there before - and sneak some zeridium into the drug during the making procession. We need to rescue Jasper and Veronica before they realize the drug is contaminated so we can get them by surprise.” 

“And how do you know that?” the superhero questioned. 

“I have my source,” Henry shrugged. “So, do you have some zeridium?”

“Yeah, we have some. Schwoz!” he ordered. “Go and get the zeridium.”

Schwoz came back to the room a few minutes later, holding a small bottle of glowing green liquid. “Be careful with it, it’s the only zeridium we have left,” he warned before passing the vial to Ray. 

“The two of you will come over tonight.” Ray nodded his head to the vigilante duo, addressing them. “I will take this glass of whatever it’s called - ” He shook the vial in his hand.

“ - zeridium,” Schwoz interrupted. 

“Anyway, I’ll bring that with me so that we can add it into the drugs. Then we can go and save Jasper.”  

“Also Veronica,” Henry added. 

“Yes, and Veronica.”

“Or,” Charlotte cut in. 

“What, Charlotte, what?” Ray groaned, shaking his hands and in the process, the vial too. 

“Ahh!” Schwoz shouted. “Don’t do that!” 

“Let me finish, okay?” Charlotte said in annoyance. “You need to stop cutting me off.” 

“Okay, I promise.” 

“Or, you can ask Schwoz to make a special weapon with zeridium that can cancel out the drug. That can save a lot of time since you don’t need to wait for the drugs to be made or silvered to every member of the Maniacs.” 

“You know what?” Henry looked at the girl in utter amazement and Adam nodded in agreement. “That’s actually a great plan.” 

“Schwoz, you can make the weapons, right?” Ray asked the scientist. 

“Yes, I think so.” With that, Schwoz left the room, but not before snatching the bottle of zeridium out of Ray’s hands. 

“I’ll tell the Thunder Twins about the plan,” announced Charlotte, heading back to the computer and started typing. 

“Phoenix, bring the twenty vigilantes from last time tonight,” Ray instructed. “You and Ice Age will come with me, like last time.” 

“Okay,” Adam answered. Henry stood next to his sidekick, but he wasn’t listening to the plan, instead he was lost in deep thoughts. 

“Phoenix?” Ray snapped his finger. 

“Uh, sorry, what? I zoned out a little bit,” he apologized. 

“I said that bring the twenty vigilantes and they’ll attach the Maniacs with Schwoz’s special weapons while you and your sidekick will follow me and rescue the hostages,” Ray repeated. 

“Okay, sure,” Henry said. 

“When will we meet up?” Adam asked. 

“Oh, umm, maybe at ten outside Junk ‘N’ Stuff. I’ll hand out the upgraded weapons to you guys then.” 

“I’ll go back to the Underground to tell them get prepared, you can stay here if you want,” Henry told his friend. 

“Nah, thanks. I think I’ll come with you,” replied Adam. “I’ll call them for a meeting.” 

—— 

“Listen up,” Henry spoke to the twenty vigilantes. “The reason why I’m calling this meeting now is because we’re attacking the Maniacs this night.” 

A few complaints could be heard between the vigilantes. 

“I know we failed last time, but we won’t this time. We are well-prepared, and we have our weapons upgraded. Yes, Captain Man has made some special weapons that can harm the gang even if they’re indestructible. He’ll pass them to you when we meet up tonight. 

“Everyone, please do your best tonight. This time, we actually know what we’re doing. You can attack the Maniacs instead of standing on guard this time, we don’t need to stay low anymore. 

“So, let us take out the Maniacs once and for all tonight!” 

The vigilantes cheered, and a smile made its way up to Henry’s face as he watched this. 

_Henry let his finger pull the trigger the rest of the way and a loud crack echoed throughout the abandoned building they were in._

_No, Dr. Minyak wasn’t down, he wasn’t even injured._

_The evil doctor smirked, “Phoenix, do you seriously think this low of me?” He took off his iconic overcoat and a bulletproof vest appeared. “I have myself prepared, of course.”_

_Henry stared at the vest, his face twisted in anger._ How can I be this stupid? _He screamed to himself. He could tell that Dr. Minyak was amused at his expression._

Run!

_This was the only word he could think of at that moment, and he followed his instinct. He must get himself out of the building before it was too late. He turned around and sprinted towards the closest entrance, only to find out it was locked._

_Dr. Minyak stepped in front of the boy, closing the space between them, as an evil smile blossomed on his face._

_“So, Phoenix, what makes you think that you can escape after killing_ my _target and having an attempted murder on_ me _,” he spat out harsh._

_Henry snorted, “I didn’t kill him, okay?”_

_“Huh? That’s interesting.” Dr. Minyak stared at Henry, observing his facial features. Soon, his eyes lit up in recognition._

_“I should have guessed that,” he breathed. “You’re the only one who’s stupid enough to stand up against me,_ Henry Hart _.”_

_The only thing Henry could remember before everything around him immersed in pitch darkness was Dr. Minyak raising his hand, aiming a pistol right at him._

Henry grimaced at the memory. _I should have been more careful that day, then none of this would happen._ He reached for the Maniacs’ logo burnt to his skin. 

Henry made his way to his room, and sat behind his desk. He stared into the air, remembering everything that happened in his life. 

Slowly, he reached for the pile of paper on his desk, taking six pieces of paper, addressing six different people. 

_To Jasper,_

Henry met Jasper at the age of five, and since then, they had been best friends. They were always there for each other, no matter what. Jasper was funny, kind, and had a weird obsession with buckets, claiming that he was a bucketeer. Henry never meant to lie to Jasper about his job, if it wasn’t for the oath, he would tell Jasper the second he became Kid Danger. Henry could feel guilt tingling in his stomach, Jasper wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn't because of him, much less kidnapped. 

_To Charlotte,_

Two years after meeting Jasper, Charlotte came into his life. She immediately made herself a spot in their friendship and the three of them were always together. Charlotte was sassy, but good hearted. She was smart, like really smart. She figured out Henry’s secret in less than a week, both times. Henry was the reason why Charlotte was doing this job, why her life was in danger. He could remember exactly how he felt the time his friend got brainwarped. Guilt, nothing but guilt. The same feeling he was feeling right now. 

_To Ray,_

Henry first met this man when he was thirteen, young and carefree. He was awestruck when he realized the man standing right in front of him was the one and only Captain Man, and he didn’t reconsider much before agreeing to the offer. He felt invincible at that time. Henry and Ray had a special father-and-son relationship. He didn’t blame Ray for dragging him into this mess, Ray was lonely, he needed a friend. Henry himself was the only reason why he was here today. 

_To Schwoz,_

Henry had been doing that job for three months when he met Schwoz. Schwoz, being a genius, built the entire Man Cave and almost everything instead. He immediately became friends with the funny little foreign scientist with a weird accent, and grew closer and closer everyday. There were definitely a lot more laughters down in the Man Cave ever since Schwoz arrived, and his life was more interesting than ever before. 

_To Veronica,_

Veronica was part of the Wall Dogs Henry first met her. He had a stupid boyish crush on her ever since then. Three years later, they met again. Things changed a lot between three years, and Henry already lost his family. Veronica was always by his side since their first encounter after years, filling in the emptiness of Henry’s life. If it wasn’t for Veronica, there was no way he would be here, plotting revenge for his family. 

_To Adam,_

Adam joined the Underground at the second month of its foundation. He was a faithful sidekick to Henry, and sure helped a lot through this journey. 

Henry hesitated for a moment, before taking another piece of paper. 

_To every member of the Underground,_

The Underground was one of the many reasons for his almost-succeeded revenge on Dr. Minyak, they were all his friends, his family. 

Sealing the envelopes, Henry sighed. As much as he didn’t want to do this, he knew he must. 

He chickened out last time, but not this time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> We know this is later than usual, but this was a hard one for us to write. On a side note we have decided to combine the next two chapters into one, resulting in only fifteen chapters for this story. 
> 
> ~ ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	17. Chapter Fifteen: The Lethal Blow

Henry leaned against the wall, tapping his watch in annoyance. They had been waiting outside Junk ‘N’ Stuff for ten minutes but Captain Man was nowhere in sight. 

“Hurry up, Ray,” Henry muttered to himself. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

Right on cue, the door opened. Captain Man and the Thunder Twins appeared with Charlotte and Schwoz by their sides. Charlotte was holding her tablet, as usual, writing things down, and Schwoz was holding a huge box in his arms. 

“Thanks for coming,” Captain Man said to the vigilantes. “Sorry we’re late but there was a slight problem with our weapons.” He glared at Schwoz, making the latter man shrank away. “So, you vigilantes will each take a weapon from this box. They are specially made so that they can hurt them even if they have taken the drugs. 

“The Thunder Twins will be with you. Phoenix, Ice Age, you two will come with me to save Kid Danger and the girl. Is everything clear? Okay, please go and grab a weapon. Pistols, by the way, thought you’d be more comfortable with those.”

Every vigilante, including Henry and Adam, rushed to the box, taking out a pistol each. 

“Nice,” a member of the team remarked, sizing the pistol in his hand. 

Charlotte approached Henry and gave him a small hug. 

“Good luck, Hen,” she whispered. 

“I will,” he breathed. 

He took one last look at the girl before heading for the Man Van. 

“Bye, Char.”

——

Henry inhaled sharply as he stared at the entrance of the building where Jasper and Veronica were. _That’s it, no turning back now. It's a one way ticket to hell, literally._ Henry knew that everything would end today, he could feel it. He looked at the surroundings, and sighed. Once he entered the building, he knew that he would never come out again. Ever. Taking a deep breath, he decided it was time. He looked at his ex-boss and sidekick, and mouthed, “Let’s go.”

The vigilantes and the Thunder Twins were already inside the building, probably in a fight. They could tell it by the shooting and yelling. They were waiting for everyone to get distracted so that they could slip into the building without anyone noticing. 

Henry, Adam, and Ray slowly opened a small gap between the door and slid into the building. It was mayhem inside. There were many bodies lying on the floor, dead, with blood flowing all around them, and everyone still standing was fighting. They could hear Dr. Minyak’s Australian accent coming from the back. 

“We have to hurry.”

Henry and Adam followed Ray who stopped in front of a door. He looked around to check if there was anyone nearby. 

“I think they’re in there,” Ray told them. 

“Are you sure about it?” Henry questioned. “There aren’t any guards or cameras here, this doesn’t look like where Dr. Minyak would put his hostages.”

“Yup,” Ray relied. “One hundred percent sure.”

Henry sighed, he had a bad feeling about this. “Whatever.”

He took out his laser and melted the lock. Ray kicked open the door, and two silhouettes could be seen inside. 

Jasper and Veronica were chained to the wall, their mouths stuffed with cloth. They had bruises all over their bodies, it wasn’t difficult to tell that they were treated badly. 

Henry and Ray rushed into the room, with Adam waiting outside, standing on guard. Henry used his laser to free his friends, and Ray helped them to take out the cloth. 

Veronica immediately collapsed onto Henry’s shoulder. Sobbing, she said, “Thank God you’re here. I thought, I thought we were going to die.”

Henry gave the girl a gentle pat on the back. “I'm here now, I’m here.”

“You okay?” he asked Jasper, who answered with a small node. 

Ray gave Jasper a tight hug. “Gosh, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss you so much.” 

“Me too, Ray, me too.” Jasper returned the huge. 

It was then when Henry realized something was wrong. 

“The door’s locked.” He paced towards the entrance of this room, and called out, “Ice Age? Are you there?” When nobody responded, Henry kicked the door, but it just wouldn’t open. “Oh no.”

Ray walked around the room, shooting every surface he could find in this room, but no damage was found. “Dammit. We’re trapped,” he cursed. “We walked right into Minyak’s trap.”

“Shut up,” Henry groaned. “We don’t have time for your complaints. We need to get out of here right now.” 

“Do you have any device we can use to connect the others? You know, like an earpiece or a walkie-talkie?” Ray asked. 

“Who the hell would carry a walkie-talkie with them?” Henry exclaimed. 

“Actually, I do,” Jasper cut in. 

“Well, do you have one with you right now?” Henry sassed. 

“No,” the boy said quietly. 

“That’s it. We are doomed. Dr. Minyak got us. I don’t think we can break through this room any time soon.” Henry threw his arms up into the air in despair. “Game over, guys.”

Just then, noises could be heard outside the room and footsteps pounded on the floor. 

“Move… from… door,” a person who Henry assumed to be Phoebe shouted. 

“Uh, what?” Henry called on top of his lungs. 

“Said… away… door,” Phoebe repeated from the other side of the door. 

“I think she wants us to move away from the door,” Jasper suggested. 

“Yeah, I know. But why - ” Henry was cut off by a huge explosion, and the force pushed all four of them onto the ground. When Henry‘s eyes recovered from it, the door was already shattered into pieces, and the Thunder Twins entered the room with Adam. “So that’s why.”

“Are you alright?” Max asked, offering a hand. 

“Yeah, I think so,” Henry responded, pulling himself up with Max’s help. 

“I think we need to go,” Ray announced and the rest of the group nodded in agreement. 

They ran out of the room, heading for the main entrance of the building, but they were stopped by a group of Maniacs. 

Henry instantly sprung into action. He grabbed Schwoz’s specially made pistol and aimed for a man. He pulled the trigger, and immediately the man fell to the ground, dead, with blood leaking out of his chest. He aimed for another man, and another, until there was only one man standing. 

“Where’s your leader?” Henry demanded. “I want to talk to him.”

“He’s, he’s, in the main hall,” the man stuttered, pointing his finger to his right. “It’s that way.”

“Thanks.” Henry flashed him a smile before pulling the trigger. “Done.”

Henry turned around only to see Jasper’s mouth opened in surprise, still not recovered from the scene earlier. 

“Oh. My. God.”

“What?” He shrugged. “You know this is how I work. C’mon, let’s go to the main hall. It’s time to take him out once and for all.”

Jasper nodded nervously, swallowing his saliva. 

“Are you two okay with this? You know you can wait in the Man Van,” asked Henry, nodding his head to Jasper and Veronica. 

“Nah, I’m fine,” Veronica returned, and Jasper nodded besides her. 

The team headed to the main hall, with Henry leading them. Dr. Minyak stared at them with shock as they entered the room. 

“How did you manage to get out?” he roared. 

“It’s none of your business,” Henry smirked, pointing his gun towards his family killer. “Time to say goodbye, Dr. Minyak.”

“Oh, really?” Dr. Minyak spoke with a self-satisfied look on his face. “Don’t you remember what I told you that day? Do you seriously want to take that risk?”

Henry shivered at the thought of that day. His stern look suddenly broke down, and hesitation surfaced. 

_Henry woke up, finding himself tied to a chair. He looked around him, but nothing but pitch-black could be seen. He was confused at first, not knowing where he was, as the event happened earlier that day - or who knew how long ago - appeared in his mind. For a moment, he wondered if he was blinded by Dr. Minyak._

_The door was soon opened, and the sudden brightness made Henry squeeze his eyes shut in a second. When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he saw Dr. Minyak standing in front of him. He looked around, but he couldn’t tell where he was. He was in a room, that’s for sure, a really messy one. Science equipment lied all over the floor, and a few breakers on a table, with glowing liquid inside. There was also an armchair, and newspapers were all over it._

_“Well, well, well. See who’s finally awake,” the evil scientist sneered._

_“What do you want?” Henry spat out._

_“Nothing, I want absolute nothing from you,” Dr. Minyak snickered. “In fact, I’m letting you go.”_

_These words got Henry unexpectedly. “What do you mean? Letting me go? As in, untying me, so that I’m free, and I can go wherever I want, let me go?”_

_“Yes, I’m letting you go.” Dr. Minyak lowered his body and untied Henry while the boy glared at him with shock written all over his face._

_Henry stood up right away, or tried to. He hissed at the amount of pain his body received, and stumbled backward, falling right into the chair. He looked up to Dr. Minyak, who was smiling smugly at him._

_“What the hell did you do to me?” Henry blustered, fist clenched._

_“Nothing, except that I injected a device in you. Hold out your right arm,” Dr. Minyak instructed._

_Henry lifted up his arm, trying to ignore the great agony. There, a Maniacs’ logo was burnt to his skin. His left hand touched the burnt mark, causing him to cry out in pain. “What’s this?”_

_“Oh, I wasn’t talking about that mark, I was talking about the thing underneath it. With it, my life will never be in danger.” The scientist leaned forward. “Listen closely, Henry Hart...”_

Henry shook his head, bringing himself back to reality. He didn’t dare to continue his trail of thoughts, he had been avoiding this matter ever since that day. He didn’t tell anyone about this, not even Veronica. He scowled at Dr. Minyak as his dead sister’s body appeared in his mind. 

_Henry walked into the kitchen, the place where the smell was the strongest. The second he turned to the corner he collapsed to his knees and screamed until his throat was sore. “Piper?” Henry croaked as he knelt next to his sister’s dead body. “Piper, please!” He begged wishing what he was seeing wasn’t actually happening._

_Piper was lying behind the kitchen counter, face down. Her body was covered in blood, with several gunshot wounds._

_Henry took Piper’s hand, and shook her vigorously, as if that could bring her back to life. When she didn’t answer him, he stood up shakily and then took the stairs to his bedroom._

_He was never the same after that._

Henry gripped his pistol firmly, aiming it to the murderer in front of him. However, Dr. Minyak didn’t seem to be afraid. He walked towards Henry, and pushed the weapon away. 

“What are you doing? I can shoot any second now,” Henry warned. 

“Yes, you can,” Dr. Minyak said confidently. “But you won’t.”

He continued walking, and stopped when Captain Man was within reach. He put his hand on the hero’s shoulder, to which he received a nasty look. 

“Ah! Captain Man, my dear friend,” he exclaimed in a clearly fake tone. “I suppose you would love to know who is your ex-sidekick’s murderer, wouldn’t you?”

“Shut up, Minyak,” Henry threatened. “I’m the one with a gun right now.”

“Oh, you won’t dare,” Dr. Minyak laughed. “So, Captain Man, how do you feel about working together with Henry Hart’s murderer?”

This came out like a bolt out of the blue. Henry froze, Jasper gulped, and Ray instantly walked over to Henry. 

“Is that true?” he asked in a dangerous tone. 

“No?” This came out more like a question than a statement. 

“Are you lying?” Ray grabbed Henry by his collar. 

“No, why would I?” Henry protested. “Besides, you choose to trust the villain? He’s just trying to stir up some trouble so that he can be safe.”

“You’re right,” Ray said after thinking for a few seconds, and let go of Henry. “Minyak, how can we know you’re not lying?”

“Yeah!” Henry agreed. “You don’t even have proof that I killed him.”

“No, I don’t have proof,” Dr. Minyak avowed. “But, you just admitted yourself that you killed him.”

“What do you mean?”

“You said I don’t _even_ have proof that you killed Henry Hart, meaning that you did kill him. Am I right, Captain Man?”

Ray gazed at Dr. Minyak for a moment, before throwing a punch at Henry, who dodged it easily. 

“What - the - hell?” Henry yelled, dodging a punch between every word. Ray’s punch was more and more aggressive, and it was harder and harder for Henry to dodge them. 

“Stop!” Veronica screamed suddenly. “He didn’t kill Henry Hart, because he _is_ Henry Hart.”

“Veronica!” Henry cried. “What’s that for?”

“He was going to kill you!” the girl shouted back. 

“No he wouldn’t!” 

“I was just trying to help you, okay?” 

“If you were trying to help me, you should have done something else.”

Jasper was still gaping at Henry with disbelief written all over his face when Ray got his senses back. “Henry,” he whispered. 

Henry sighed, knowing that it was better this way. “Henry, Henry Hart.”

Out of nowhere Dr. Minyak started clapping. “Nice going, Veronica. This plan would have worked if it wasn’t for you.”

“If it wasn’t for me,” Veronica mocked. “That’s why I’m here, you idiot.”

“But I still have one last trick up my sleeve, you know that, Henry,” the man simpered. “You won’t dare to shoot me. I gave you a chance last time, and remember what you did? You ran away, like a little coward.”

Henry smirked, pulling himself out of Ray’s tight grip. “This is where you’re wrong.”

_This is for you, mom._

He pointed the weapon two inches away from the villain’s heart, and pulled the trigger. 

_Crack!_

Dr. Minyak’s shirt was immediately stained with blood. 

_This is for you, dad._

He moved the gun an inch closer to the doctor’s heart. 

_Crack!_

Dr. Minyak’s body wobbled, as if he was going to fall any second. 

_This is for you, Piper._

Henry took a deep breath, and gave his friends one last look, before giving the man who killed his loved ones, the man who made his life hell one last blow, the lethal blow, straight to his heart. 

_Crack!_

This marked the end of Dr. Minyak, but it also meant the beginning of the battle between the heroes and the Maniacs. During the chaos, nobody seemed to notice how the boy closed his eyes, how he fell to the ground, how he took one last breath, until one heartbreaking scream. 

“Kid!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> So... This is the end of Phoenix Rising, things might be a little bit confusing, but everything will be cleared up in epilogue, which will be probably posted tomorrow. 
> 
> Thanks for reading this chapter. 
> 
> ~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


	18. Epilogue

_ Hi, it’s Henry, Henry Hart. No, I’m not dead - wasn’t - I wasn’t dead. I’m probably six feet underground by the time you receive this letter. Who am I kidding? I will be dead when you receive this. Remember that Maniacs’ burnt mark on my right arm? Well, Dr. Minyak injected a device underneath it that can kill me the second his heart stops beating. I have no idea how he did it, but he did. Oh, and before you call me an idiot, I have tried to take it out, but failed.  _

They slowly took out the piece of paper out of the envelope. 

_ Jasper, you have been my best friend, and you always will be. I won’t be there with you anymore, but Charlotte is still here, and Ray and Schwoz too. No, don’t give up your gum tube, you earned it. You are a great Kid Danger, Swellview needs you. Thanks for being such an awesome friend. I’m sorry for not telling you the truth, but I have to. I’m proud of you, Jasp.  _

Jasper put the letter away and broke down into tears. He couldn’t believe Henry, his best friend since five, was gone again, this time for real. Henry would never come back again. He held the gun tube in his hand tighter.  _ I won’t disappoint you, Hen.  _

_ Charlotte, you have been a really good friend to me and Jasper. You’re the smart one, and the sensible one. I know you can get through this, but I’m not so sure about Jasper. Promise me, take care of Jasper, don’t let him do anything stupid. Thanks, Char, for everything.  _

Tears streamed down Charlotte’s face like rain. She carefully folded the letter, as if it was the most important thing in the world. She refused to believe this, she could still remember every detail of their late night talk. It was only five days ago, yet it seemed so distant.  _ I promise you, Hen.  _

_ Ray, thank you for this job, this chance, this opportunity. Don’t blame yourself for this, it’s not your fault, I’m the one who accepted this job, and I’m glad I did. Being your sidekick is the most memorable thing I’ve ever done in my entire life, and it is one of the most precious memories. You’re like the father I never had, Ray.  _

Ray’s hands shook violently and tears threatened to fall out of his eyes. He could never imagine that the boy he met five years ago would mean this much to him. His life had never been boring ever since Henry arrived, then his friends came along. He knew he should tell Henry to give up this job, but he never had the guts to ask him to do so, much less fire him. He was afraid to lose him.  _ You’re like the son I never had, Kid.  _

_ Schwoz, you have been a great friend to me. And ever since you joined us in the Man Cave, it has been more interesting than ever. You really are a genius, with all these cool stuff you invented. I’m sorry that I treated you badly sometimes, please accept my apology. Keep inventing, Schwoz.  _

Schwoz ran out of the room and hid in a corner, crying. Henry was the first person who welcomed him in the Man Cave, and he had been a good friend ever since, even though Henry occasionally treated him badly.  _ Thank you, Henry.  _

_ Veronica, we first met five years ago, when we were just thirteen. Four years later, we met again. You have been by my side since that day, you’re the one who helps me when I’m stuck, comfort me when I’m sad. I’m sorry that I sent you to the Maniacs, I truly am. If I could go back in time, I would never do such a thing. I love you, Veronica.  _

Veronica locked herself in her room, crying her eyes out. She sobbed, and put away the letter that she had read for at least twenty times. She loved Henry, ever since they first met, but she never had the chance to say that to him.  _ I love you too, Herbert.  _

_ Adam, you have been my sidekick for almost a year. You helped a lot, really, a lot. The Underground probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. Thus, I name you the new leader of the Underground. Please take good care of this organization, Adam.  _

Adam sniffed, trying to stop himself from crying. He didn’t succeed, though. Henry took him in when he was homeless. He had been his mentor, his friend, and more importantly, his family.  _ I won’t let you down, Henry.  _

_ To every member of the Underground, thank you all for supporting me during my journey, if it wasn’t for you guys, I would never get revenge for my family. I now announce that Adam will be your new leader. Thank you, guys.  _

The vigilantes mourned their beloved leader. Some remained quiet, some weeped, and the other cried loudly when Adam read them the letter. 

_ Love, _

_ Henry Prudence Hart _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> This is the end of Phoenix Rising, thank you all for reading this story. Also, a huge shoutout to RandomNerd3, the original writer of this story. 
> 
> Thank you. 
> 
> ~ZoeyJH06 & hellotheregirlypops


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